


Mystic Knight Online: All the World's Made Strange

by JGKitarel



Series: Mystic Knight Online [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Ranma 1/2, Samurai Sentai Shinkenger, Sword Art Online
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-14
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2018-12-27 20:07:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 146,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12088434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JGKitarel/pseuds/JGKitarel
Summary: They are out of SAO, but the real world is not how they remembered it. Now they have to try to adjust to a new world... again.





	1. Damned Hospitals

**December 12, 2024 - Suginami - Nakano General Hospital**

Harry gave the four men giving him severe looks a bored look in return. “So, this is where you all give the obligatory threats to me now?” He asked in a dry tone. He had been introduced to them a few days ago, and had been expecting this since.

Ranma, Keiko’s grandfather snorted. “No, that’s Tetsuhiko’s job,” he said in amusement as he pointed to the man that was Keiko’s father. “After all, he’s Keiko’s father, so he has the father’s prerogative there.”

“And I’ll be doing that once I see if some arrangements can be made,” Tetsuhiko said. “You know, show you exactly what I will do to you if you hurt her. I’m a scientist specializing in chemistry, so I with some pretty volatile chemicals.”

Harry nodded. “As is your right as her father,” he acknowledged. “So, then, what’s the reason for this?”

Akira and Ko, her uncles, smirked as they held up water glasses. “Oh, we’re just welcoming you to the family, Saotome style.” Akira said. “Ko, if you will demonstrate.”

“No problem,” Ko said as he splashed his father with the water, giving Harry a demonstration of the curse that Keiko had frequently talked about with him and… whoa, that was something to see. Where there had been a man in his mid to late fifties, with salt and pepper hair, there now stood a much smaller woman who was… rather well-endowed to say the least. Her red hair was peppered with gray, but she didn’t lose any of her bearing, and Harry now understood his fiancée’s comment about her grandfather turning into a grannie that could wipe the floor with everyone in the guild even if they had their SAO stats.

“Well now, that’s different,” he said. “Keiko’s told me about this, but seeing it is definitely something.” He then gave a suspicious look at the glass in the still smirking Akira’s hand. “Let me gues…”

Akira splashed him with the water before he could finish the sentence and Harry felt the change take over him. _Bloody hell, it’s almost as like when I used polyjuice,_ he thought. _Not as painful, and a lot quicker, though._ He then shot the elder Saotome son a glare.

Akira just smirked back as Ko then pulled mirror out from… somewhere and held it in front of a now female Harry.

She looked at her reflection, noting the now straight red hair and green eyes before taking in the rest. Her face was more delicate, if softer and rounder. Her body had shrunk a bit, but also didn’t show the signs of the borderline malnutrition endured back at the Dursleys. It was enough that the hospital yukata was loose enough to show her breasts. And most unusual, the effects from having been in SAO were, while still present, much reduced. If anything, she thought that she looked a bit like a younger version of her mother.

“Well, this is different from the last time something transformed me, less uncomfortable” she said and blinked at her contralto voice and then shot the grinning men one woman a look. “I do hope this isn’t permanent.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Tetsuhiko said with a chuckle. “My two idiot brother-in-laws did the same thing to me when I was engaged to Sumire, and my retaliation for that would have been worse if it was permanent.”

“You blew us up and put us in the hospital,” Ko noted.

“It would have been the morgue if there was anything left of you two if it was permanent,” Tetsuhiko shot back.

“Just be glad we are doing it here and not after you got out,” Akira said, amused. “Then we would have had you dressed in the girliest outfit we could find.”

Harry snorted. “Sorry, but Keiko beat you to that last year,” she said drily. “Admittedly without the gender change, but she did get me in a dress, all the accessories, and looking quite nice if I say so myself.”

Ranma laughed. “Tetsuhiko, go get some hot water,” she said. “If he can take this with good humor, he’ll fit right in, in Nerima.” She then looked at Harry and smiled. “Welcome to the family.”

**December 15, 2024 - Kyoto, Undisclosed Location**

Mizore walked onto the grounds of her home, letting the illusion of her human guise fall away, cursing the need for crutches to walk around again. Had her presence in SAO not been so well known, her mother or one of the healers could have done something to speed up her recovery, but that wasn’t going to happen.

She was too well known as an SAO Survivor, one that was well known by even those who had not been trapped in it. Even if it wasn’t known that she wasn’t human, she now had a public identity that was known to far more outside the magical and supernatural communities than the relative handful who had known prior to SAO.

She was just glad that her therapist and counselor were both in the know about who and what she was. They did their jobs as required, but they also knew that they were treating a youkai and made allowances for that.

She _had_ to have documentation of doing things like physical therapy and attending psychological counseling. She one of the “tragic victims” of SAO that even the expertise of others couldn’t help them escape.

She snorted at that thought. _Tragic victims?_ She thought sarcastically. _We’re_ survivors _you pretentious asses. While we were all doing our best to stay alive and get everyone out of there, what did_ you _do? RECT might not have accomplished anything, but they at least tried_.

She could understand sympathy, but what she was hearing from the talking heads and “experts” in the news media wasn’t sympathy. It was pity. And she knew how many of those who had been in SAO would feel about that. They would be insulted by the pity being shown, to say the least.

She put the crutches to the side and sat down on the stairs that led to the entrance to the large traditional home that was her residence, taking care to not sit on her tail. Again. She had grown so used to having a human body in SAO that she was having to readapt to not only having one again, but also her new center of balance and sharper senses. The sounds and smells had bothered her greatly, probably more than the human SAO survivors, for the first few nights, and they were still an annoyance to deal with.

Still, it was good to be home. She leaned back and closed her eyes to take it all in when the patter of feet sounded and she opened her eyes right before a little blonde missile tackled her to the porch.

“Mizore!” Came the cheerful and childish voice and then began to babble at a rapid place as the source of it, a young human boy, asked her if she was better now, how she wasn’t on TV anymore, how he wanted to play with her, and how he missed her. All without seeming to pause to breathe.

“Ruto… breathing,” she gasped out. “Can’t... breathe.”

“He has been eager to see since you got out,” an amused voice said.

“Yeah, I can see that,” she said drily as she gently got him to loosen his grip on her and allow her to sit up. He had grown quite a bit in the last two years. She then looked at the source of the voice and smiled. “Minato-sensei, Auntie Kushi, it’s been awhile.”

The blonde haired man just smiled and nodded, while his wife, a woman with dark red hair smirked. The two of them had been her caretakers and teachers when she was younger, getting her used to human norms and using their brand of magic so she could attend Mahoutokoro. They had also included current technology in that, and she had been mildly surprised by that fact. She was used to the conservatism of longer lived Youkai who were unused to the rapid advances made in the last century, and those capable of magic tended to eschew modern technology for their own reasons.

Some just didn’t see a need for it as magic sufficed. Others were of the erroneous belief that magic and technology just didn’t mix due to how it tended to not work properly, at best, in areas of high magical concentrations. She had heard plenty of reasons. Some were more valid than others.

Mizore patted Ruto’s head and looked at his parents. “So, how have things been with you all?” She asked.

**December 17, 2024 - Saitama, Tokorozawa General Hospital**

Kouichirou caught Asuna on her latest stumble as she tried to walk back to her hospital room. “Should I ask a doctor for a wheelchair?” He asked, already knowing that she would shoot that idea down.

“I’m not made of glass, Kou!” Asuna protested as she shrugged her brother’s hand off and struggled to get her crutches back in position. “I have to do this if I hope to be able to not need these things.”

Kouichirou sighed at his sister’s stubbornness. “Asuna, you’ve only been out of SAO for ten days,” he said as he caught his sister when she stumbled again. “It’ll take time. And you’ve already done your physical therapy for the day. Doing more will just tire you out, not make you recover any faster. So can you swallow your pride for a bit?”

Asuna huffed as she got her crutches set and took another step, shooting her brother a defiant look.

Kouichirou shook his head and followed his sister as she slowly made her way back to her hospital room, ready to catch her if she stumbled and fell. He had seen many of the ways she’s changed in SAO, but seeing her like this and experiencing those changes was different. The Asuna who had survived SAO was like a younger and warmer version of their mother, but had the same steel core and iron will.

Not to mention the pride and stubborn streak a kilometer wide that she had either previously lacked, or kept buried before.

“Another week,” Asuna said quietly, but not quietly enough. “Another week and I might get out of here.”

Kouichirou shook his head, at his sister’s impatience. He could understand it, and even knew some of the reasons why as well. For all that she was glad to be out of SAO, she was now having to deal with the fact that her physical body had been affected, and she was now having to deal with that. And the fact that the massive loss of weight and the weakness of her body made her feel vulnerable.

**Kawagoe, Mitsui Hospital**

Kirito relaxed as soon as he got back to his hospital room.

After a battery of tests done by the doctors and nurses to ensure that he was actually fine the day after SAO had ended, he had started on his physical therapy. Given that the nurses had to stop him and escort him back to his room after he had managed to get out of his bed and use the IV stand as a makeshift walking stick to make his way down the hall, they had determined the sooner he was made ambulatory, the sooner they could discharge him.

Better than having him try to leave the hospital and hurt himself in the process, Nurse Aki, who was one of the nurses handling the few SAO patients in the hospital had informed him. Not that she had to work overly hard to keep him in his hospital room as it was.

Without the weight of his swords across his back, he felt vulnerable when he was out in the halls. He wasn’t surprised by his body’s weakness from muscle atrophy and a lack of calories in what passed as a diet for him during that time, but he hadn’t realized just how used he had gotten to being armed at all times. For two years, the only times he wasn’t was when he was at an inn and sleeping, the villa, or bathing, so being unarmed was taking some getting used to.

In his hospital room, he was fine. It was like being at an inn, with the hospital room being the place where he would be sleeping. It was not unusual to be unarmed then, but outside of such places, he had always gone about armed. Even when out of armor, he always had a sword on him.

It was taking some getting used to for him, not being armed, or having access to a means of arming himself at a moment’s notice. His habit of trying to open the menu before remembering that this was the real world, there were no menus to call up.

 _Hmm, wonder if Harry is having the same problem and looking to do something about that,_ he thought. He pushed that musing out of his mind as he heard someone enter his room and turned to see his sister.

“Oh, you’re back from therapy Kazuto?” Suguha asked.

And that was another thing to get used to, being addressed by his real name, rather than by Kirito.

“Yeah,” he said. “It was tiring, as they’re trying to get my muscle mass up, but also to be able to walk for longer without crutches. I think their goal is to get it to thirty minutes, and I’m getting there a lot faster than I expected. Not that I’m complaining, being stuck here is… boring, despite the fact that I’m always on guard when in the hallways.”

“That’s… good?” Suguha asked uncertainly. “And what do you mean being always on guard?”

Kazuto gave her a wan smile. “Sugu, I spent two years in SAO,” he said and then sighed. “We went everywhere armed, only taking our weapons off in places where we were absolutely sure it was safe. The rooms we slept in at inns, or the villa when we got that, for example. Otherwise, we always had a weapon on us. Part of it was simply because having a weapon on your person at all times meant that you always had a means to defend yourself. Even in safe zones, we were unwilling to test that after the first month. Not when it not working meant that someone could die, and we all saw it not work the way it was supposed to at least once.”

“At least once?” Suguha asked.

“There was only one time that I can confirm the system that kept safe areas safe didn’t work,” Kazuto said. “Last month, and it was probably what persuaded Kayaba to do what he did. He had used his GM powers to intervene during an exhibition tournament, and the only reason those of us in the know didn’t expose him was because… well, he had a very good reason to be so blatant about it. Any of us dying because of our own actions was one thing, he wouldn’t interfere. Us dying because the system decided to not do its job is another. As Harry often noted, he was fair in the fact that he wouldn’t help or hinder us like that.”

“But he was Heathcliff, right?” Suguha asked. “And he was active in clearing the game. I would say that counts as interfering.”

Kirito shook his head. “And outside of some GM safety nets to keep him alive, everything he did as Heathcliff was in his capacity as a player, not as the GM,” he corrected. “Well, until the end, at least.”

**December 18, 2024 - Suginami, Nakano General Hospital**

_Bloody hell, I tried to open the damn menu again_ , Harry thought before looking around the small shower room and found his glasses on the sink, making him get up from the bench like seat in the shower stall to grab and put them on.

Readjusting to the real world was turning out to be an experience. At least his vision served to remind him to remember his glasses.

It had been eleven days since they got out of SAO, and he was finding himself in a situation that he hadn’t experienced in over two years. SAO had been strange when it started. Awesome, but strange. After getting trapped in there, he threw himself into being able to fight, going out and getting stronger. Over time the strange became familiar, a new normal.

At times, the realization that none of his situation was normal would smack him in the face, but it _had_ become normal to him. And to the others. He had believed that it was a real world of its own, despite knowing full well that none of it was real in the sense of what everyone Outside would see as real. And now he was back in the real world, and found it to be strange and unreal.

The irony of it was not lost on him.

He grabbed the hanging hospital yukata that all patients wore and put it on before grabbing his crutches and shakily walking out of the small bathroom that his hospital room had. Both as a walking aid for when he needed them, but also for something to serve as an improvised weapon if need be.

“It’s good that you’re done with your shower, Mister Potter,” a voice said. “I do not want to have interrupted anything, or tarry long.”

Turning his attention to it, he kept his face neutral. “Mister Wainwright,” he said calmly to the suit wearing man. “What brings you here? Usually it’s Miss Carlisle, Miss Hanaori, or both.” He then saw the Japanese man who was with Mister Wainwright. “And I see that Mister… Tani?” He had been introduced to him and Mister Ikegami when they accompanied Lady Shiba on a visit to him, mostly for introduction purposes, but he only met the man once and wanted to make sure he had the name right. At the man’s smile and nod, Harry continued. “I see that Mister Tani is with you, so I take it that he’s supposed to be my watcher from the Shibas today?”

“And Mister Black is currently in England,” Richard Wainwright noted. “Or in transit back to be more precise. Miss Carlisle and Miss Hanaori are headed to Narita to pick him and his guest up.”

“He’s expected to be back later today,” Harry said with a shrug. “He isn’t letting my cousin travel here unaccompanied, and I’m still a patient in the hospital, so he doesn’t have to worry about putting me up and leaving me unsupervised. And that’s why I haven’t been discharged yet.”

“You aren’t fully recovered yet,” Richard noted.

“That will take some time, but I’m recovered enough that they don’t need me here taking up bed space,” Harry said. “If Sirius wasn’t out of the country right now, I probably would have been released this morning.”

“The benefits of a wizard’s constitution,” Richard dryly said with a smile before schooling his features. “Well now, I have it on good authority that Lord Black should be arriving back in Japan within a couple of hours, barring delays, but you are already aware of that. Once he clears customs, along with his guest, it will still take a couple of hours, so you might be getting discharged by this evening, if not some time tomorrow. But that is not why I am here.”

“I kind of figured that,” Harry said. “So, why are you here?”

“I am here, Mister Potter, to inform you that the responsibilities of my organization towards you have been fulfilled,” Richard said formally. “I am also here to once again offer my most sincere apologies for what you went through, as it was my responsibility to ensure your safety while you were in our custody. A responsibility, which we partly failed.”

“Your apologies are accepted,” Harry replied with equal formality. “What happened was through no fault of your own, and you made sure that I was protected out here, so you still discharged your duties. As for what happened in Sword Art Online, the dangers I was in were by my own actions, and thus the responsibility falls onto me. I was under no obligation to risk myself in there, so you do not need to take any responsibility for that.”

“My responsibility was ensuring that you remained unharmed,” Richard said. “But I am relieved that you are not blaming us for the dangers you faced inside there. It is your right to do so, as it was still something that was avoidable by not allowing you to get trapped in there.” He reached into his jacket and pulled out a letter. “And the Patriarch of my organization is also tendering his apologies in this matter.”

Taking it, Harry nodded. “Thank you, and I won’t continue to ask about who hired you,” he replied. “No point in asking for something like that. I know you won’t provide the identity of a client.”

Richard let out a partially relieved breath. “I’m glad that you are understanding of that,” he said. “On an unrelated note, congratulations for getting out of Sword Art Online on your own merits,” he said before nodding at Mister Tani and walking out of the room.

Harry watched him leave. For all that he didn’t like the man and the organization he represented, he could respect their professionalism. Besides, the man’s lack of confirmation or denial when he voiced his suspicions to him yesterday was telling in its own right. He then looked at Mister Tani. “And is there anything on your end I need to know, if only to know what mess I stepped in this time?”

“Lady Kaoru does want to talk with you,” he said. “And you know the reasons why. She is waiting for you and all your friends to be discharged. Well, not Yui and Strea for obvious reasons, but we’re still trying to track down what happened to them.”

“Any clues?” Harry asked with a hopeful voice.

“We have some suspicions where they might have ended up,” Chiaki said. “RECT maintained the SAO servers while you were all in there, and they used a lot of what they learned to make a VR game of their own.”

“Oh?”

“They call it Alfheim Online, and from what we can tell, they used data from SAO, or at least the servers used in the beta test. They might have hopped over to there, but we don’t have any way to confirm that without getting some AmuSpheres and going in. We’re not anti-technology, and we have a fair number of modern conveniences, but none of us really saw the point in playing it.”

Harry nodded. “Is it safer than SAO?” He asked.

Chiaki nodded. “RECT made sure of that,” he said.

“A VRMMO that’s safer than SAO,” Harry mused. “I can see taking a look at that and seeing if I can get into contact with them. If they are there, of course, but it would make some sense, if only because Strea would get bored and want to do something. Anyway, you said that Lady Kaoru would wait until we’re discharged?”

Chiaki nodded. “It would be easier to do it all at once, though we made sure to send someone to inform them all not to talk about certain things until then,” he said, gaining a professional bearing that was at odds with his previous one. “Not just for their protection, but yours as well. This way we can debrief everyone at once and inform them of their responsibilities.”

“And mine as well?” Harry asked.

“You will be briefed further later, but I can at least tell you this right now,” Chiaki said seriously. “Until you are all adults, you’re responsible for them. There are going to be other things, but that’s for later. Miss Ayano will be similarly briefed for obvious reasons.”

Harry nodded. “She and her family have known about certain things since long before SAO, so she should have done something to stop me,” he said. “But what you’re saying is that the responsibility is primarily mine. That’s fair enough, since it was me who… you know.”

Chiaki nodded and then lost his professional demeanor. “On an unrelated note, you doing it when you did netted me thirty thousand yen,” he said jovially. “We had a bet on if and when you would.”

Harry snorted. “Nice to know that something good came out of it,” he said drily. He heard his cellphone ring and reached over to get it. Fiddling with it and cursing his unfamiliarity with such, he finally accepted the call. “ _Moshi moshi.”_

**Narita International Airport**

“So, visiting Japan for the Christmas holidays?” A girl’s voice asked in English with an American accent.

Dudley blinked and turned his attention to the speaker. She was clearly of Asian descent, if showing signs of mixed heritage, and her English had that educated air that some of his teachers at Smeltings had. The best he could guess is that she was around fourteen or so, but he was no expert at guessing a girl’s age.

“Visiting my cousin for the hols,” he replied. “And will actually get to talk to him for a change, rather than see him just lying there in a hospital bed and unable to respond.”

She raised an eyebrow. “He was hurt when you last visited?” She asked. “If it’s not too much, what happened?”

Dudley shook his head in the negative. “No, it’s not too much,” he said. “He was trapped in SAO. It’s over with, so he’s now free.” He frowned. “But I’m not looking forward to how he might take my presence.” He said quietly before shaking his head.

“You two don’t get along?” She asked.

 _Sharp ears,_ he thought. “He has reasons, good ones, to not fond be of me, to say the least,” he said with some shame in his voice. “I’m not proud of being responsible for many of those reasons, but it is what it is.” He saw her nod, though he could see that she was thinking about what he said. “So what brings you to Japan?” He asked, changing the subject.

“I’m here to see my sister, Nijika.” The girl said. “She was in SAO as well. As far as I know, she’s still in the hospital recovering. My mom should be waiting for me.”

Dudley nodded. “Yeah. Well, I hope she gets better soon then.” He said.

“Same,” the girl said and then looked at which flights were next to go through customs. “This is taking _forever._ Hope my mom isn’t kept waiting too long.” She complained before turning back to Dudley. “Nanairo Arshavin,” she said, holding out her hand.

“Dudley Dursley,” he said, as he took it and they shook. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Arshavin.”

“Hey Dudley,” Sirius said as he walked up to them. “Just got off the phone with Harry and… well, well, talking with a girl?”

Dudley gave an aggrieved sigh. “Before you ask, Sirius, I’m not trying to chat or pick her up,” he said. “I’m not you.” He looked at Nanairo. “Miss Arshavin, my cousin’s godfather, Sirius Black. Just ignore him, and he might stop begging at the table. Sirius, Miss Nanairo Arshavin. She’s here to see her sister, who’s an SAO survivor like Harry. We basically struck up a conversation to kill some time.” He looked at the waiting list for flights. “Shouldn’t be too long.” He looked at Nanairo questioningly.

“My flight is next for line two.” She said.

“Cool, we’re next for line three.” Dudley said before turning his attention back to Sirius. “How’s he doing?”

“Bored out of his mind,” Sirius said. “If we can get through soon enough, we can make it before visiting hours are over, maybe even allow him to be discharged, though that will probably have to wait until tomorrow.”

“Umm, excuse me,” Nanairo said. “Since this Harry is an SAO survivor, what was his handle? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

“What?” Sirius asked.

“Hadrian, but most of his friends called him Harry,” Dudley said and then paused as he saw Nanairo look shocked.

“Your cousin… was he a member of Steel Phoenix?” She asked hesitantly.

“Yes, but what does that ha-” Dudley began to ask when Nanairo gave an excited squeal.

“He was in the same guild as my sister!” Nanairo said excitedly. “Her handle was Rain! What a coincidence!”

Dudley parsed that and then chuckled. “Small world,” he said and then glanced at the listed queue. “Well, looks like our flights are up. It was a pleasure meeting you, Miss Arshavin.”

Nanairo nodded. “The same, Mister Dursley, _dosvidaniya_ ,” she said as she walked to where she would claim her bags.

As they walked to fetch their bags before heading to their customs line, Sirius gave Dudley a sly look. “So, talking with the sister of one of Harry’s friends,” he said. “Smooth.”

“I see a newspaper, don’t make me grab it and whack you with it,” Dudley threatened. “And her saying that at the end, I assume it’s Russian. If so, then she’s definitely Rain’s sister.”

**Suginami, Nakano General Hospital**

Keiko watched as Sirius walked into the common area. “Where’s Harry?” She asked when he got close enough.

“He’s talking with his cousin,” Sirius said, glancing in the direction of Harry’s hospital room. “I figured I would tell you he might be delayed.”

She shot him a look. “His cousin,” she said flatly. “The same cousin who used to bully him before SAO?” It wasn’t a question. While Harry had some hopes for his cousin, she would reserve judgment until she met him. Word of him changing for the better meant little when compared to what Harry told her during their time in SAO.

“Lady Shiba’s there to keep the peace if needed, though I think Chiaki could do it just as well,” Sirius said. “I don’t think anyone would try to cross her, so if things get a bit heated, she can cool their heads. But they need this.”

“I hope it’s with a bucket and not her sending them into Tokyo Bay,” her grandfather said. “It’d take a bit of time to fish them out and bring them back here.”

“She better not,” Keiko said. “Harry doesn’t know how to swim. So, he was right about his cousin then?”

Sirius nodded.

Keiko considered what she would say in response and decided to take a page out of Asuna’s book. “I hope you don’t mind if I see for myself,” she said. “It’s not that I think you’re lying, but I need to confirm this for myself."

##

Harry looked at Dudley with a neutral expression from where he was seated on his hospital bed, and would admit to being a bit satisfied at his cousin shuffling nervously. He noted that Lady Shiba standing back next to Mister Tani, but focused on his cousin. “You’ve lost some weight,” he said neutrally. “You’re still big, but it’s more muscle now. But you’re not so fat that you look like a whale trying to be a person now.”

“Boxing practice, following a diet, and a lot of time in the gym will do that.” Dudley said. “And you look like you could stand to gain a few stone.”

“I was on the Aincrad diet plan,” Harry said, using a joke he, Keiko, and a few other SAO survivors in the hospital had. “Guaranteed weight loss, or your brain’s cooked.”

Dudley winced at the dark joke before taking a deep breath. “Harry, nothing I can say can really make up for what I did.” He said. “I was a right pillock back then.”

“That you were,” Harry said, keeping his expression and voice neutral. “So, what prompted your change of heart?”

“The staff at Smeltings remembered Dad,” Dudley said. “They didn’t want another him and decided to set me straight. My classmates helped in that as well. They’re in prison now, you know.”

“I’ve heard as much,” Harry said and then took a deep breath. “Sirius showed me the newspaper articles, so I know that you talked to the press, which helped with putting both there. However…”

Dudley nodded.

“You know, I can’t feel sorry for them,” Harry said. “You might not want to hear that, but it’s true. I didn’t want that for them, I just wanted to be shut of them, but...”  
  
“I know,” Dudley said. “Their actions came back around on them, and it wasn’t just the abuse. Abuse that I was a part of. I was… still am, actually... angry about them now being in prison. But not at you. They brought it on themselves.” He then gave a wan smile. “Working out in the gym helps with the anger. So does boxing practice. Makes for some great stress relief and letting it out. Sparring and getting my arse kicked makes for some good anger management practice as well.”

Harry snorted before schooling his features. “Surprised that Aunt Marge didn’t take you in,” he commented.

Dudley snorted. “ _Her?_ ” He asked incredulously. “Thank God, no. She ended up in a spot of trouble when she tried and some social services people checked to see if she was suitable. She wasn’t found suitable, obviously.”

Harry nodded. He could tell there was more to it, but he really didn’t need to know. “So who’s responsible for you now?” He asked.

“Sirius is, surprisingly.” Dudley said. “I don’t know how he did it, but… Anyway, he worked out a deal with Smeltings to allow me to keep attending, so long as I keep my grades up. Easy enough, since I have to if I want to remain on the boxing team. Well, maybe not that easy, I’m not that smart, but I’m putting in the effort.”

“That’s all you can do,” Harry said. “Still, that leaves us with one question, where do we go from here?”

“Nothing can make up for what I did,” Dudley said. “But…”

“The past is the past,” Harry said and then smiled. “It’s good to see that what I had hoped for you, that someone would set you straight before it was too late, happened. The rest… well, you know what I feel about Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon. So let’s just start from here.” He held out his hand. “Hi, I’m Harry. I hear you’re my cousin?”

Dudley smiled and took it. “Hi, I’m Dudley, and I’ve heard the same,” he said and they shook.

“Well, I have someone to introduce you to,” Harry said as he reached for the crutches right next to the bed.

“Who?” Dudley asked.

“My wife,” Harry said and then paused for a moment. “Well, fiancée really, but I’ve gotten used to thinking of her that way. Give us a few years so we can file the paperwork, and it will be the case again.” He tried to get up.

Dudley moved over to help him, but was waved back. “I need to do this on my own,” Harry said as he finally got standing. “There we go. Now, I take it that she’s in the common area?” His question wasn’t directed as Dudley.

“Indeed, Mister Potter,” Kaoru said in clear English. “But I hope you won’t mind any assistance if you need it.”

“I’m stubborn, but not that stubborn, ma’am,” Harry said with a grin.

“You’re better than my godson in that respect,” she said, which got a raised eyebrow from Harry.

**December 19, 2024 - Chiyoda, Nihon University Hospital**

Nijika sat back in her bed, boredly looking out the window. She had some manga that she could read courtesy of her mother, but she really didn’t feel like picking one up right now. She was waiting for her mother and sister arrive, she had been called earlier, so she knew that both were on their way.

She heard the door open and turned to it in time to see her mother, Airi, come in. “Mom,” she said. “Is she…?”

Airi turned to the outside and Nijika could hear her tell someone to come in. “Come on, don’t be shy,” her mother said kindly as she led in a young teen. Her hair was such a light brown that it could be confused for a pale blonde, and her brown eyes were staring at her curiously.

She was here. Her sister was _here_.

“Nanairo?” She asked.

Nanairo nodded. “It’s… it’s been awhile, hasn’t it, _sestra_?” She asked. Her Japanese was halting, and her using the Russian for “sister” showed her clear unfamiliarity with the language of her birth.

Not that Nijika cared.

Nijika got off her bed and stood up on shaking legs. She took a couple of halting steps before stumbling, and catching herself.

Nanairo walked forward and held her up. “Easy,” she said in English, only to suck in a breath as Nijika wrapped her arms around her. “Nijika?”

 _“Moya sestra... ty zdes'”_ Nijika said in Russian with tears of happiness running down her cheeks. She looked up to see her mother smiling. If she hadn’t known that Nanairo had come here on her own, with their father’s permission, and why he wasn’t here, she would ask where he was. She had some choice words to say to him, but that didn’t matter right now.

She was seeing her sister for the first time in ten years. Giving her father a piece of her mind could wait.

##

Andrew smiled as his wife, Kathy, continued to tell him stories of the things that happened in the last two years, and how her having his own actions in SAO had attracted more patrons, especially after he was one of the groomsmen for Harry’s wedding. She was currently telling him of an Englishman who was in Japan to watch over his godson, Harry Potter, or Hadrian, as he was called in SAO, had become something of a semi-regular customer.

Andrew was surprised to hear that Harry had someone from England come here to see him. He never asked for details, but Harry had let him know that his home life was bad enough that he didn’t consider his family members as such. To know that someone actually gave enough of a damn and cared enough to come here and be a semi-regular at the bar was surprising.

“So he would regularly have someone picking him up from the cafe?” He asked.

“Oh yes,” Kathy replied. “They were an interesting bunch. The local Yakuza were… well, they were _very_ polite to them and cut back on the protection racket, wary of provoking them. Especially to the pair that routinely came to pick him up. A Chiaki Tani and Ryunosuke Ikegami, if I recall right.”

Andrew started when he heard those names. “Kathy, say those names again,” he said. _It couldn’t be,_ he thought.

“Chiaki Tani and Ryunosuke Ikegami,” she said. “I figured that they’re important enough people and high up enough in the pecking order, or work for someone who is, that the Yakuza don’t mess with them. I never asked, though.”

Agil nodded. “Best that you didn’t,” he said. “They’re not into anything shady that I know of, but they work for a family that is known in the underworld. I don’t know any details, but I’ve overheard the Yaks mention them as people they are _not_ to fuck with a few times in the past, and to cut down their usual activities if they’re regularly in the area. That’s all I know, and I know better than to ask.”

Kathy nodded. “I figured as much,” she said. “Still, they’re good customers and you might have a chance to meet them after you get out.” She checked the time. “And it looks like it’s time for me to head back to the cafe and prepare it for opening. It’s supposed to be about a week until you get discharged, right?”

“A week at the least,” Andrew grumbled. “It might be sooner, but you know how doctors are. Still surprised that I’m not going to be stuck here longer. The wonders of modern medical technology, though the rehab’s going to last longer than I’ll be here.”

“Just be patient, dear,” Kathy said and then gave him a kiss before she walked out the door. As it closed he heard her greet someone.

“Oh, Airi! You came here to see your daughter? And who is this young lady?”

Andrew laid down on his hospital bed. So, his wife knew Rain’s mother? He had met the woman when she visited her daughter, and Rain had introduced them when he stumbled upon the two of them as he was hobbling back from a therapy appointment. He had been surprised that he was in the same hospital as one of Steel Phoenix, let alone a few doors down, but the hospital had a ward for those caught in SAO, so he probably shouldn’t have been. He had run into many a former customer, who often sent cheerful greetings or jeers his way, as well as the mutually shared gripes about still being in the hospital, the carefully monitored diets, being bored out of their minds, and what they’ll do when they get out.

None of them doubted that they’ll be having to do physical therapy and other rehabilitation related activities for months to come, but all of them were showing signs of clear and rapid improvement. Hell, he had put on five kilos once the doctors were assured that he could eat solid food, and the calorie and nutrient rich diet was doing him wonders, despite how carefully monitored it was. He was still underweight for his size, but he at least wasn’t looking like someone who was recovering from a moderate famine any more. All of them had joked on more than one occasion about having been on the Aincrad Diet Plan.

**December 20, 2024 - Toshima, Ikebukuro General Hospital**

Hiyori sighed as she looked out the window of her hospital room, taking in the skyline, including the Sunshine 60 building which was clearly visible from her location. It had been nearly two weeks since she had participated in the battle that freed everyone from SAO, and she was beginning to get bored and frustrated with her continued confinement in the hospital. She mentally cursed the businesses her parents worked for sending them both on required business trips out of the country. Her mother was due back tomorrow, but that didn’t change her current situation.

She had already exhausted the manga collection her mother provided yesterday, her educational future was still undecided so she didn’t have any textbooks to crack open or read on a tablet, let alone use the hospital’s Wi-Fi to browse the internet on, and the TV in the floor’s common area was playing news broadcasts that she already knew the content of. Her cellphone was off to the side, but went largely unused. The ones she most wanted to talk to right now, if only to have someone to share gripes with about her hospital stay, she didn’t have their numbers for.

She heard the door to her hospital room open and looked over to see Nurse Aikawa look in. “Miss Kashiwazaka, you have a visitor,” she said politely. “Would you like to see them?”

 _A visitor?_ She thought in confusion. She didn’t know of any family members planning to visit. Given the distances involved that they would be required to travel, she would have been notified by now. Still, something to alleviate the boredom outside of the normal was appreciated. “Thank you, Nurse Aikawa, I would like to see them,” she said.

“Very well, Miss Kashiwazaka,” the nurse said and looked outside the room. “She’s ready to see you now.”

Lux wondered who it was when Harry and Silica walked into her room on crutches. “Harry, Silica!” She said excitedly. There were two others with them, but she was focused on them. “You’ve been released?”

Both of them smirked and nodded. “We got out yesterday,” Harry said. “More because the two of us were annoying the staff, I think.”

“You mean we were constantly getting out of our rooms to be found sleeping in the common area of our floor,” Silica said. “Oh, and remember, it’s Keiko out here, Lux.” She then looked at Harry.

Hiyori grinned. “Only if you remember to call me Hiyori,” she said. “So, how is it to be finally out of the hospital?”

“Weird and nerve-wracking,” Harry admitted. “This city is huge and worse to get around than the labyrinths in SAO. All the people around keep making me have my guard up. If it wasn’t for the lack of mobs, it would be like being out of the towns in SAO.”

Keiko nodded. “I still find myself reaching for a dagger that’s not there at times,” she admitted. “Your instincts are going to be going wild out there, so keep that in mind when you get released.”

Hiyori nodded and then gave the two who accompanied them a curious look. “And they are?" She asked.

“Oh, right,” Harry said and then pointed at one of them. The bigger one. “This one is my cousin, Dudley Dursley. Don’t worry, we talked some things out and I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt.”

“And this one,” Keiko said, pointing at the other. “Is my uncle, Akira Saotome. He’s here to make sure Harry behaves himself and doesn’t find a place to have his way with poor, defenseless, and innocent little me.”

Hiyori snorted. “Innocent, _you_?” She asked and then laughed. “You’re a lot of things, but innocent isn’t one of them. Besides, who is to keep you from having your way with him?” She looked at Dudley.

“Don’t look at me,” he said in heavily accented Japanese. “I’m not stepping in the way of a woman who is determined to get what she wants.”

“Wise man,” Akira and Harry both said with a nod, causing Hiyori to giggle.

“Yeah, wise of you,” Hiyori said with clear amusement. “It’s a pleasure to meet both of you.” She said and bowed from her seated position.

“So Hiyori, outside of the boredom of being stuck in a hospital, how have you been?” Keiko asked.

“Fine enough, I guess,” Hiyori said with a shrug. “The food’s okay. Not up to Asuna’s level, but okay. Once they let me start eating solid food that is. The crutches are a pain to deal with. Physical therapy is painful. And the psychological counseling every few days is a pain. You two?”

Harry and Keiko shrugged. “About the same,” Keiko said. “We’re down to doing the counseling once a week, but that’s probably because we’re no longer patients in the hospital. We were having to talk to psychologists and counselors about as often before.”

“Yeah, but I don’t think counseling sessions are supposed to last three or four hours,” Harry grumbled.

“Before we all start complaining about psychologists and their prying questions,” Hiyori said. “What brings you both here? How did you find out I was here?”

Harry looked at her. “I apparently have friends in interesting places, or my dad’s family does,” he said. “Anyway, we both came here to check up on you, get your cellphone number, and give you ours.” He smirked. “We already met with Rain earlier, she’s at Nihon University Hospital. Got to meet her sister and mother there, and Agil’s staying at that hospital as well. It was quite the coincidence to find out that Dudley here met Rain’s sister at the airport when he arrived.” He then gave his cousin a smirk. “Was quite funny to see her threatening him in a mix of Japanese and Russian to keep his hands off her sister, or else.”

Dudley snorted. “That’s putting it mildly,” he said in English.

Harry turned his attention back to Hiyori. “I seem to recall that you reminded us all that we can get into contact after we got out a few months ago, we’re making sure that happens.” He said.

Hiyori looked at her cellphone before scrambling to get it. She turned it on and then looked at Harry and Keiko. “Well, what are you waiting for?” She saw the rings on their left ring fingers and paused. “And are those rings I see?”

Both Harry and Keiko looked at her and then at each other. Harry turned his attention back to her. “We were wondering if you would notice,” he said, flushing. “It’s a bit of a story, one we can’t tell here, but to summarize it… we’re engaged.”

Hiyori gave the two embarrassed teens a blank look, and then looked at the rings. “Oh… um, those don’t look like…” She shook her head. She could bring it up later, and she suspected that certain things that they couldn’t discuss in public were involved, so it would have to be someplace that was private. “So, you were saying something about trading cellphone numbers?”

**December 21, 2024 - Nerima, Ayano Residence**

Keiko felt herself relax as she entered her home. For all that she and Harry could put on a front, they had told everyone that being out and about was going to make them _very_ alert and cautious with regard their surroundings. The habits developed in SAO, of always being alert until you could verify for yourself that a place was safe, was making her wish she still had her dagger, and she had seen Harry tapping his hand on his right hip or clutching his crutches in a way that showed he was ready to use it as a means of self-defense often enough to know he felt the same. Being free of SAO wasn’t the problem, but the crowds and not having clear lines of sight made them on edge.

She was just glad that the press had kept back for now, but she doubted that it would last for long.

The two of them had finally gotten a hold of everyone, ensuring that they could remain in contact, though it had been a near miss with Kiri- Kazuto, who was making arrangements to be discharged when they got to his hospital. It was nice to meet his family, though. The way his sister, Suguha, moved demonstrated her kendo training, and she would admit that if she was in good enough condition, she would like to have an opportunity to spar with her. Or maybe she could pick up that Alfheim Online she heard about. Kazuto did inform her and Harry that his sister played it, and that he might try it out, if only to see how it is.

All of them had been discharged from their respective hospitals now, with Kazuto being the last one. Both she and Harry had received text messages while on the way to Mitsui Hospital from their guildmates informing her of such.

She heard her cellphone’s ringtone, a cutesy bit of song that she had on it before SAO, and reminded herself to change it at some point. While it was a nice callback to the more innocent times before SAO, she had long since lost track of what was “in” now. Pulling it out of her small handbag, she checked the number and recognized it as Harry’s.

Wondering why he would want to call her when they had both only separated only ten minutes ago, she swiped her finger on the ‘accept’ icon and brought it to her ear. “ _Moshi moshi_?”

 _“Keiko, sorry about calling you after we just parted ten minutes ago,”_ Harry said. “ _I just got notified by my minder... Mister Tani, don’t give me that insulted look. You’re here to make sure I don’t get myself into trouble. Thus, you’re my minder. And yes, Mister Ikegami, it's all very amusing. Chortle quieter. Sorry about that, dear. Anyway, I just got notified that the Shibas and some government person want to talk to us tomorrow. You know why. I’m pretty sure that they’re making arrangements with your family or will soon. Just giving you a call to inform you.”_

Keiko shook her head. “Thank you for that Harry,” she said. “Anything else?”

“ _Outside of that, not right now,_ ” Harry said. “ _I’ll call later tonight, out talks do help a little. Bye._ ”

“Bye, Harry,” She said and listened as he cut the call. So, the Shibas were now doing the meeting and planned discussion on how much trouble they might be in tomorrow. Frankly, she was surprised that the Shibas, or the Ministry of Shugenja waited for this long after they were released from the hospital. Probably to give them time to get settled.

The fact that they were to have a meeting wasn’t unexpected. Harry had violated the Statute of Secrecy, and she hadn’t done anything to stop it when he did. Admittedly, she could claim that it was a spur of the moment thing on his part, so she had no way to know he was going to do it, but that would be her leaving him to take responsibility to save herself. Even caught off guard, she could have done some damage control, and she _had_ added to the issue.

Fortunately, it hadn’t spread any further than their own group. None of the others had hard line connections during SAO, and apparently Kayaba had set things to filter out such topics from the streams.

Still, it wasn’t a meeting she was looking forward to.

##

Keiko had gone to her room to get ready for bed when Sumire looked at her husband. “So, how long do you think it will be before she looks into trying Alfheim Online?” She asked.

“Hopefully never,” Tetsuhiko said. “But I can see it happening. She’s… tense and alert, too alert, when outside the house. Everything is different to her now. She’s used to going out to fight mobs, some of them dangerous, and unlike in SAO, where cities and towns were explicitly safe, the same can’t be said for out here.”

Sumire nodded. Even without all the suppositions by various media “experts”, the SAO survivors were going to have some difficulty adapting to being back in the real world, and some of them might never manage to. Keiko was trying, but the world had moved on without her and had changed just enough to not match what was in her memories. It was like her father’s stories of returning to Japan after his training trip, or how it took Akira some time to readjust after he returned from his own training trip for his Mastery.

She was a stranger in a familiar land, and was having to cope with that fact. The fact that she was separated from the young man who was her husband in all but the legal sense was also adding to the difficulties for her. Neither youth had taken any umbrage at having to consider themselves affianced in the outside world rather than married. They had, in all actuality, expected that their marriage in SAO would not be considered a legally binding one, if only because of their ages. Which didn’t mean that they were happy about it.

She was having to reconcile her new reality to what she knew, as she had to two years ago when SAO began. They were trying to do everything they can to ease the process for her, such as with her now having a cellphone plan, rather than using prepaid cards as before so she could talk to Harry, but easing it didn’t mean that it was _easy_ for her. There was a disconnect with the real world, as if she was doing a kata out of step with the others.

A disconnect with the real world might be made worse if what was rumored to be planned to allow them to complete their education turned out to be true. The SAO survivors who still had school to finish would all be educated on a campus in Nishitokyo unless they made specific arrangements otherwise. While she saw the positive side of it, such as being with a peer group that would be able to understand each other and getting the regular psychological counseling that many of them need, she also saw the negative side of it. They could potentially be seen as different. Non-conforming. Outsiders. _Rejects._

Sumire lost her daughter once. She did not want to lose her again because she sought an escape from the very society that she was born in doing everything it can to reject her

**December 22, 2024 - Unplottable Location, Shiba Compound**

August was watching his daughter happily chase around a phoenix that had flamed in. Another bird, a beautiful snowy owl, had been clutching the phoenix’s tail feather when it flamed in, and had let go as soon as the two arrived. The owl was now perching in the branches of nearby sakura tree. His wife, Ami was sitting next to him giving off a sigh and muttering about phoenixes that actively encourage such behavior.

Ever since waking up from SAO, if he wasn’t busy trying to show that he was perfectly fine, he was spending as much time with his wife and daughter. He remembered how she hid behind her mother, peeking out from behind her curiously when he did. He had so wanted to hold and pick her up right then, if only to confirm that it was real, but the two years of physical inactivity had put paid to that. Even now, he was still considerably weaker and less fit than he had been, but the potions regimen and diet he was on, as well as exercises that his wife had him do, were helping him regain much of the ground lost during that time.

Gaining it all back would take a lot longer, if he could regain his previous levels of fitness, that is. For that magic can work wonders, it still had limits to it, and only time and hard work could do the rest.

“I take it that this phoenix is a regular visitor, Ami?” He asked his wife.

“He is,” his wife sighed. “And Alice is always delighted to see him. I’ve heard that he’s the phoenix companion for Albus Dumbledore.”

“The Headmaster of Hogwarts?” Gus mused. “Wonder why the phoenix is here then.”

“From what I know, he has an agreement with the Shibas to provide their own points of view on how Mister Potter is doing in SAO,” she said. “The Wainwrights also send information, and word has it that they also provide footage of his adventures there, but you know how bad an idea only relying on one source of information is.”

August nodded. “Yeah, and I taught you and your friends to always validate information from more than one source if you can,” he said.

“What the… Fawkes?!” A familiar voice called out.

August turned to see a surprised Harry staring at the phoenix, with Silica next to him looking on the phoenix in awe. He took the two in. Even after two weeks out of SAO, they were still painfully thin. It would take time to put the weight back on even with a well-chosen potion regime, but they looked healthy enough. He noted the crutches they had. He also noticed their postures indicated that they weren’t using them to support their weight at this moment.

He then heard a bark from the sakura tree and saw Harry look in that direction. “No way,” the young man said as his face brightened. “Hedwig!”

The snowy owl took wing and Harry then found himself dealing with the attentions of a concerned owl that alighted onto his shoulder and immediately looking him over. Once she was satisfied, she then whacked him upside the head with a wing, as if she was chastising him for worrying her.

“Easy, Hedwig, easy!” Harry said in English with a laugh. “I’m sorry for worrying you, but… you’re safe. Did you spend all this time looking for me?”

“She came with the phoenix, Harry,” August said. “So before you ask, she didn’t fly all the way here.”

Harry turned to him. “Gus, you’re here?” He asked in surprise.

August chuckled. “I did say I came here to visit my godmother to be here for the release of SAO,” he said drily. He then gestured to Ami. “Might as well make some introductions, this is my wife, Ami, and the little bundle of joy playing with the phoenix is my daughter, Alice. Ami, this is Harry Potter and... ” He looked thoughtful for a moment. “...Keiko Ayano?” He glanced at the girl and she nodded. “Used to thinking of you both with your SAO names,” he admitted with a chuckle.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all, Mister Potter, Miss Ayano” Ami said with a bow. “August has spoken highly of you two.”

Harry and Keiko bowed back. “The pleasure is ours, Mrs. Blake,” Harry said and then glanced at August. “Also Gus, congratulations on the birth of your daughter.”

August smiled at the young man. “Thank you,” he said. “If it wasn’t for you seven, everyone would still be in there.” He looked at his daughter. “I missed those milestones I should have been here for. Her birth, her first steps, her first words… days I was trapped in there and couldn’t be there.” He moved closer to his wife and wrapped an arm around her. “But still, you all gave every one of us in there our lives back.”

“And just because you missed some things in the past, there is still the future to look forward to,” Harry said with a smile.

“Wise words, Harry,” an elderly voice said. “For all that the past can weigh us down, the future is always in reach for us to grasp.”

##

Albus smiled as Harry turned to see him. The lack of surprise on his former and maybe future student’s face meant that he either already knew, or surmised his presence due to the presence of Fawkes. Still, the genuine smile on the face of the young man, he had was no longer a boy, was reassuring.

“It has been a while, Professor,” Harry said, from next to the young lady who was his wife in all but name.

“Indeed it has, Harry,” Albus said and then looked at the girl. “And I do think some introductions are in order as well. I know who Miss Ayano is, she has featured prominently in the recordings of your adventures in Sword Art Online, but this is our first time meeting. Miss Ayano, I am Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance at last.” He said in clear, if accented, Japanese as he gave her a bow.

Keiko bowed back. “Headmaster Dumbledore, I am Keiko Ayano,” she said. “Harry speaks highly of you and has told me many good things about you. He has also mentioned a few things that you were responsible for that I don’t like, but he explained the reasons for them.”

“Reasons I am sure that you doubt the validity of,” Albus said knowingly. “You would be right to do so. Just as Harry has admitted to the resentment towards me he rightly felt for my decision in leaving him with his family when I explained them. I made those decisions prioritizing Harry’s survival and my being too trusting in power of familial ties without accounting for just how deeply Petunia’s animus towards her sister ran. Sadly, one often does not realize the unintended consequences of a decision made until after the fact. Age and wisdom does not make one incapable of being wrong.”

“I’m happy to see you, Professor, but what brings you here to Japan?” Harry asked.

“For the same reason why Lord Takeru Shiba will be meeting with you two,” Albus said, his voice becoming serious. “Your violation of the Statute of Secrecy while in Sword Art Online.”

Harry nodded. “So you’re here in an official capacity as well,” he said. “So this is not just a meeting, but also a disciplinary matter. Better to get this over with then.”

##

Takeru Shiba, nineteenth head of the Shiba clan looked at Harry Potter and Keiko Ayano sitting in a seiza position in front of him with a serious expression. “You both are already aware of why you’re here,” he said. “On August Twelfth, you both were party to a violation of the Statute of Secrecy that were not under the more extreme circumstances of Mister Potter’s previous displays of magic. The fact that the ones who had been informed of magic were likely that fact on their own, Asuna Yuuki, Kazuto Kirigaya, Nijika Karatachi, Hiyori Kashiwazaka and the artificial intelligences Strea and Yui, is also being taken into account.” The then looked at Albus, who was seated off to the side.

“Chief Warlock Dumbledore, as the representative from the United Kingdom, I request that responsibility for this matter be remanded to Japanese authorities as it happened on Japanese soil in the case of Mister Potter. Is this acceptable?” He asked.

“It is,” Albus said.

“Very well,” Takeru acknowledged and then looked back at Harry and Keiko. “Harry Potter, Keiko Ayano, your punishment is thus. Until all the ones you revealed the existence of magic to have reached the age of twenty, it will be your responsibility to ensure that they do not reveal the existence of magic to others who are not aware of it. All of them have been gathered here and are being briefed on the Statute and the responsibilities of knowing about magic, as well as if they violate it, it will be you two held accountable for their actions. Is this understood?”

“It is.” Both Harry and Keiko acknowledged.

Takeru nodded and then relaxed. “I’m sorry for having to force this responsibility on you both, but breaches of the Statute of Secrecy, even when unintentional, must be addressed,” he said apologetically. “Had this happened recently enough, measures could have been taken, but it has been too long to use them without potentially causing harm to them.” He then looked at them. “And you two can get out of a seiza position if you wish.

Both Harry and Keiko did so with expressions of clear relief on their faces.

“We were informed by both Mizore Yasaka and August Blake that this was a probable outcome,” Harry said and then turned to Albus. “Professor, is there anything I have to be concerned of about how this will be handled in England?”

Albus smiled. “Since this happened in Japan, and is being made a matter for the Japanese Authorities by them, then no,” he said. “My presence here was to not only officially hand off our responsibilities toward you as a citizen of the United Kingdom to them jurisdiction in this matter, but to also serve as a witness to the proceedings so that I may inform the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and the Wizengamot that it the matter is now settled. We were informed of this months ago, along with the request that this be handled in Japan and under Japanese authority.

“It took some negotiations, but an agreement was reached that your punishment be handled by the Japanese authorities. Though, I believe that many thought that this would be tried by the Ministry of Shugenja.”

Takeru nodded with a smile. “When I said that we would handle the matter, they decided to let us, as we have law enforcement authority outside of theirs,” he said. “It also helps that Kayaba at least had the consideration of protecting the secrecy of magic for his own reasons, so it did not go out through the streamed footage, leaving it to only the six named in this hearing.”

“Excuse me, Lord Shiba, You’re including Yui and Strea in that, right?” He asked.

Takeru nodded. “I am,” he acknowledged. “And before you ask, they are have been notified. It was another AI, CARDINAL, who worked as the administrative AI for SAO that made it so that they could be contacted. She also provided evidence to show how she had set things to ensure that the knowledge of magic did not leave through the streamed feeds.”

“Do you know how we can get into contact with them?” Keiko asked hopefully. “Yui and Strea, that is.”

Takeru smiled. “The two of them have taken up residence in the only other VRMMO on the market right now, Alfheim Online,” he said. “In the city of Arun to be precise, if I recall correctly. Your friends are also being notified of this.”

Harry and Keiko looked at each other and nodded as both Takeru and Albus shared amused looks.

“How likely do you think it will be that both of them, and their friends, will be playing this Alfheim Online by Christmas?” Albus asked after the two of them left to go meet with their friends.

Takeru snorted. “Those two?” He asked. “It’s almost certain. Their friends, on the other hand, might be another matter, though I don’t doubt that they will follow suit soon after.”

**Alfheim, Arun**

Yui landed and began walking through the streets as her dark wings faded. Due to her previous status as a player in SAO, she had to pick a race and had decided on playing as a Spriggan in ALO. The fact that it would allow her to have an avatar that would provide one that was close in physical appearance and build to what she had in SAO was also a factor. Much like why Strea had chosen Gnome, as that race was the largest and naturally stoutest of the nine races.

The benefits to illusion and treasure hunting magic, so much different from what Harry had described of his experiences with magic that Spriggans had as a racial bonus was also a consideration. She was not combat oriented by personality, unlike Strea, so having a means to avoid combat was desirable, though she wasn’t always successful and has been required to fight on more than one occasion. Her stats were fairly good, being based off of her character data from SAO, which wasn’t overly low leveled. She made sure to have a suitable level for the floor Steel Phoenix resided on when she and Strea broke free.

Her combat skills, however, were lacking, and it took her over a week to get good enough that making her way here from the Uruna, the home city of the Spriggans wasn’t a constant risking of death by mob due to combat skills being insufficient. Even though dying here did not have the same terminal consequences it had in SAO, dying and finding herself back in Uruna got old and frustrating quickly.

 _Still, Strea was right, combat is fun,_ she thought as she continued to walk down the streets of Arun to the inn she and Strea were using as their home.

They were here to ostensibly gather data on ALO for the project that CARDINAL was engaged in, and she did request that they do so, sending them on the occasional run to gather data on some part of ALO, but otherwise, she allowed them to do as they wanted. Yui privately thought that CARDINAL’s reason for having them gather data was an only an excuse so that she could give them an environment that was somewhat familiar to them to live and play in.

She opened her Friends List and checked for specific names and sighed as they still showed that the she and Strea were still the only members of Steel Phoenix to be logged in. She and Strea knew that CARDINAL had managed some form of contact with Outside, somehow, and had passed information on her and Strea’s whereabouts to people who would notify the others, but she found herself missing them and hoped that they did come to ALO, and soon.

She needed the help in keeping Strea in line, as the amazonian AI liked fighting more than just mobs. The lack of terminal consequences with killing and dying also meant that she enjoyed brawling and fighting against other players. She was getting a reputation as one who enjoyed fighting a bit _too_ much, even by the standards of the highly competitive races of ALO.

She idly wondered what they would think when they realized that their SAO character data, minus Harry and Kirito’s unique skills, had carried over.


	2. Consequences Arrive

**December 22, 2024 - Nerima, Potter-Black Apartment**

“Harry, are you sure of this?” Dudley asked with some concern, giving the Nerve Gear in Harry’s hands a nervous look.

Harry nodded. “I am, Dudley,” he said. “While none of us have outright talked about it, we’re all worried about Strea and Yui. The only way that we can verify that they’re fine for ourselves is to go into ALO and find them. I know what has been told and passed on, but…”

“You need to see for yourself,” Dudley concluded. “You’ve been out for two weeks, and now you’re going back in.” He shook his head. “Didn’t you get a second one?”

Harry pointed to an unopened box. “I was thinking that Sirius might want to see with his own eyes what I did for two years,” he said. “So I got an AmuSphere, two of them really. I’m using the Nerve Gear because of a feeling I have, rather than unboxing an AmuSphere and setting it up. I don’t have a problem with you using one so you can keep an eye on me.”

“I think I’ll pass for right now,” Dudley said and then glanced to the door of the room he and Harry were sharing. There was only one bed at the moment, but Harry had no problems with using a futon, though the room had been intended as his. Dudley had offered to take the couch in the living room, especially given that the room was smaller than his dorm room at Smeltings by a significant margin. “Just in case something happens. This way, if you end up trapped in there, I can get Sirius, since you’re being a bloody idiot in insisting on using that thing rather than an AmuSphere.”

Harry shrugged. “Suit yourself, though with ALO having been out this long, I think something would have happened by now,” he said. “Also, the AmuSphere uses different methods to do what the Nerve Gear does, and has safeties built in as well.” He smirked. “You would be safer than me, really.” He held up his Nerve Gear as if making a statement.

“That’s not reassuring, Harry.” Dudley said and then sighed. “Just humor me on this, please. I can go in with you later, if you want, but I want to make sure that you’ll be all right for this.” He shot his cousin a look. “And next time, you’re using an AmuSphere.”

Harry sighed and then nodded. “Okay, I understand,” he said. “Still, next time, you’re coming in with me, if only so I can see your reaction.” He smirked.

“Oh, go get buggered,” Dudley said with a grin.

“Well then, I’ll be going in then.” Harry put the Nerve Gear on and made a few checks, looking at the computer that was on the desk, checking the connections, and then laying down. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “Here we go,” he said. “Link Start!”

Dudley noted that Harry logging in had some obvious signs. His body relaxed, his breathing leveled off, and it seemed more as if he was asleep. Something that he had seen far too much during the summer when he was here in Japan last time. And here he was, watching over his cousin as he reentered the Virtual World.

He spied the box that ALO came in and idly opened it up to see if he could learn a bit about the game. Outside of what he had seen on the telly when an ad played, he didn’t know much about the game. If he was going to try it, he might as well see what he can learn of it right here.

Even if all the stuff he could read on it at the moment was in Japanese, which he would admit he could barely read outside of some very basic things to allow him to get around, like written directions and pronouncing the hiragana and katakana when reading aloud. Mister Ikegami was more than willing to help teach him, the actor and elite magical warrior seeing it as a tragedy that both Harry and Dudley were weak in the Japanese written word.

Mister Ikegami’s words, not theirs.

He brought out a Japanese-English dictionary. He might as well get started as he waited. It would be slow going, but he had nothing better to do.

**Alfheim Online Character Generation Area**

“WELCOME TO ALFHEIM ONLINE.” A female voice sounded echoing in the chamber he appeared in.

Harry looked around at where he ended up. It looked nothing like the ads seen, but…

A keyboard appeared in front of him.

“PLEASE ENTER YOUR GENDER AND THE NAME YOU WISH TO BE IDENTIFIED AS.” The voice said.

Harry looked at the keyboard and the simple selection menu right next to it with a smirk. It was a given what name he would use. Selecting his gender, he then typed in his name. It was slow, but at least his typing speed was faster than it had been when he did this two years ago. Sending messages and PM’s in SAO had paid off in that respect.

Hitting the accept button, he watched as the keyboard vanished and a nine figures appeared.

“THERE ARE NINE RACES TO CHOOSE FROM.” The voice said. “PLEASE SELECT WHICH RACE YOU WISH TO PLAY AS.”

He watched as they moved, taking in the information provided on them. Each of them had some strong points to them. Gnomes were built for strength and endurance, clearly tanks. Salamanders had offensive bonuses to their race. Spriggans had bonuses that would make them excellent scouts. And so on. He had an idea of what races his friends would play just from the racial descriptions and bonuses. All of them had good points to them.

He watched as the display went through the figures one more time before selecting Sylph. They weren’t the strongest or the most able to take a powerful blow, but their emphasis on speed, which carried to their flight abilities, definitely caught his eye.

He played Quidditch before SAO, he had flown fast. And in a game where you could fly on your own power, he wanted to feel that rush again.

“YOU HAVE SELECTED SYLPH,” The voice said. “YOUR APPEARANCE WILL BE RANDOMLY GENERATED, DO YOU WISH TO CONTINUE?” Harry accepted the choice. “YOU WILL NOW BE TELEPORTED TO THE SYLPH CAPITAL CITY, SWYLVANE. GOOD LUCK.”

And then Harry’s vision was engulfed by light.

**Alfheim, Swilvane**

Harry opened his eyes to see that he was headed downward in far too slowly to be falling, but he was also getting quite the view. Below him, he could see what was the Sylph Territory’s capital, Swilvane. The dark sky and the lights within the city made the buildings seem to glow an emerald green.

_Awesome,_ he thought as he continued his slow descent. He had to hand it to the devs, if all players got introduced to the game like this, then they had gone all out to give this game atmosphere.

Before long, he had come close enough to the ground that he might want to flip himself over before he ended up planting his face into the ground. Doing so, he landed on his feet, his knees bending to take the admittedly light impact, but one which could throw someone who was unprepared off balance.

“Well,” a voice said. “It’s not every day you see a freshly rolled character nail the landing when coming down from character creation. Did you decide to roll a new one?”

Harry turned to see a blonde haired sylph girl with green eyes look at him curiously.

“I take it that’s not common?” He asked.

The girl snorted. “Most first timers get so wrapped up in the view that they end up face planting,” she said. “It happened to me when I first started, and we just joke that another has joined the ‘Dirt Dart Club’. Even if they nail that one, the first time they try flying usually inducts them into that club.”

Harry chuckled. That kind of humor wouldn’t have been out of place in SAO. “So I can expect that to happen to me then, good to know,” he said. “Ah, but where are my manners? Hadrian, at your service,” he said with a bow.

The girl blinked. “Hadrian, as in the Mystic Knight from SAO?” She asked. At Harry’s nod, she sighed. “You’re asking for trouble picking a name like that. It’s an unofficial rule that the names of the more well-known players from that game are not to be picked. I just know that my brother will pick a Spriggan, if only because of the black clothing, and he will use Kirito. If he had chosen Sylph, I could at least confirm that he’s the real deal.”

Harry chuckled. “Picking a race just because it wears black?” He asked. “That’s just like Kirito. Surprised he hasn’t already gotten into this game already.”

“Mom talked him into waiting a little longer,” the girl said and then looked at him sharply. “Wait, I recognize your voice. You’re actually him. We met a couple of days ago, when you and your… fiancée? Aren’t you both a bit young to be engaged? Well, when you two came to meet him so you can exchange contact information.”

“And you have me at a loss, Miss…” Harry said.

“Leafa, that’s the name I use here,” the now identified Leafa said. “He was happy to see you two when you came to visit him in the hospital, you know. He doesn’t mention it, but… it’s not been easy for him.”

Harry nodded. “It hasn’t been easy for all of us, but it’s not as bad as it could be,” he said. At Leafa’s curious look, he decided to explain. “The real world isn’t quite as we remember it, and has changed enough to slap us in the face about the differences. And we have changed enough that we’re not… I have heard it likened by Kei- Silica’s family to us being part of a group doing a kata in a dojo, but we’re a little out of step with the others.” The meaning behind the analogy made perfect sense to him, they all _were_ out of step with the real world.

Leafa nodded. “That makes sense,” she said. “Hey, if you don’t mind me asking, what brings you to ALO?”

“I don’t mind,” Harry said with a smile. “I heard of this game and decided to check it out. There are other reasons, but I will admit that the idea of flying under my own power basically sold it to me and had me go ‘shut up and take my money’.”

Leafa laughed. “Yeah, I can see that,” she said. “It’s what draws a lot of people and it’s why I’ve been doing this since the beta.” She glanced up toward where the time probably was in her HUD. “And I have to get going, I’m already a few minutes late for a meeting with a group I agreed to party with tonight. It was nice seeing you, and it’s nice to know you’re playing a Sylph.”

Harry watched as Leafa ran off, and he watched as her wings materialized and she jumped into the air and was flying to wherever it was she needed to go.

_I’m going to have to learn how to do that,_ Harry thought as he attempted to open the menu. The lack of a menu showing had him try it again before he looked at his left hand, noting the ring on his finger, and repeated the motion. The appearance of the menu reassured him, and he immediately went to where the Logoff option should be and was relieved that it was there. He tapped it and saw a confirmation window pop up before sighing in relief.

He could see himself logging on just so he can simply log right back off several times after he finishes what he came here to do. Especially if it does indeed log him off. He doubted that the most of other players here would fully understand it, and think him odd for it, but those SAO survivors who decided to come in, would. They would probably be doing it themselves, in all actuality.

He chuckled as he hit the cancel icon for the logoff and then began to browse the menu to see what might be different from SAO. He noticed quite quickly that it was almost exactly like SAO’s system, confirming the rumors that RECT had ported much of ALO’s core aspects from the SAO beta. There were differences, minor ones, so it wasn’t an exact copy, but it was almost an exact match.

When he opened his status screen, he noticed something odd. _That can’t be right_ , he thought. _This is a new character, so why is it showing my SAO stats and skills? Well, Mystic Blade isn’t there, but that’s no surprise. But if that’s the case…_

He opened his equipment menu and didn’t see his SAO equipment, but what was obviously starter equipment for his race. He then opened his inventory and saw that all of his items were just question marks. Probably not recognized by the system. He went through it, just to make sure, and then hit a selection he never thought he would do. _Keiko’s going to kill me for this, as I don’t know if this will hit her inventory as well,_ he thought as he hit the option to select them all, and then hit the icon to delete the selected items. He would admit to hesitating in doing so, those items had been _his_ , and for someone who grew up with little to call his own, so just getting rid of them like that _hurt_.

He saw that he could access Keiko’s inventory, so the marriage aspects ported over as well, and was reassured that it was still there. They were still married in the system’s eyes, and his decision to empty his own inventory didn’t affect hers. Still, better let her know, and doing so would allow him to do what he had come here for anyway, verify that Strea and Yui were in ALO.

He checked his available money and raised an eyebrow. It was clear that it was based off the SAO data, but the number was smaller. He shrugged it off and dismissed the inventory. Going from over ten million col to around a million yrd was of no real consequence. He could always make the money back with a bit of work. _Better take where Mystic Blade was off as well,_ he thought as he opened his skills and unequipped it, seeing it vanish from his Skills Menu entirely. He sighed at that, but was far less bothered by that fact than with his inventory. Mystic Blade, despite having been useful, wasn’t something he had earned through his efforts.

Besides, ALO had a magic system in it, one that was reputed to be quite flexible, so he might be able to duplicate it with a little work. Nothing said he couldn’t try to do so, after all.

He then opened his Friend’s List and bit back a gasp at all the darkened names. _This isn’t SAO,_ he reminded himself. _They’re just offline, in the real world, not dead._ That had caught him off guard, but the knowledge that a darkened name didn’t mean the same here as it did in SAO, kept him grounded. He then went through the list and noted that a few showed online activity. _So they miss SAO and came to the closest thing to it,_ he thought. _Can’t really blame them._ He continued to scroll through it, marveling at just how many names he had added to the list over the course of two years when he saw the names he was looking for.

Yui and Strea, they were in ALO. He tapped Yui’s name and opened a message window. He needed to shoot one off to them and let them know that he and the others would be coming online soon enough. The entire guild, his family, would be back together soon enough.

_FM: Hadrian_

_TO: Yui, Strea_

_Subj: Hey!_

_Yui, Strea,_

_I heard you two were in here. Was this what you all had in mind to do when SAO ended?_

_Anyway, I just came here to check up on you two. I had heard, but I wanted to make sure for myself. Are you two doing okay? Can’t be on for long, or my cousin will worry, and will be logging off soon. Oh, on an unrelated note, that arrival bit after picking my race was totally worth it. Not like that time Kirito, Klein and I wrangled that dragon and flew it into the Knights of Blood headquarters, but worth it._

_I do have one question, though. Did you know about our character data from SAO applying to us? Oh, and what races did you pick, or do you look the same as you did in SAO?_

_I picked Sylph myself, it just called to me, though Salamander might have been a good pick as well. Emphasis on fighting and killing things with fire? Yeah, I can see the appeal of that. Then again, Keiko would say it’s because I’m male, of course I would enjoy setting something on fire. Anyway, I’m going to log off soon, just to make sure my cousin doesn’t worry._

_And Yui, you know enough about my past to know that my home life was... less than stellar. Looks like someone set him straight and he changed for the better. Don’t really know what to make of it, but I’m giving him a chance. We’re trying a clean slate approach to it right now._

_Harry_

He sent the message and noticed that he had a message as well. Bringing up the message window, he saw a few. Most were clearly system messages, with one simply welcoming him to ALO, but he noticed one from Silica. So, she had logged on as well. She hadn’t been certain that she could, as she didn’t know if she could get her family to agree to let her.

He selected the message and opened it.

_FM: Silica_

_TO: Hadrian_

_Subj: Pina’s back!_

_Harry,_

_Did you have your character data from SAO come with you? From the fact that your inventory is empty, I bet it did. Not that I’m complaining, but what’s with that? Anyway, I went through my inventory and saw that the items and equipment didn’t come with us in a way that the system recognized. Still went through everything before deleting it all, and glad I did. Pina was in it!_

_Anyway, I talked my parents into allowing me to log on, and it didn’t take much. I think they were expecting this. I still talked to them about this and said that if they wanted, they could join me in playing. You know, in case what happened with SAO happens here. I think my mom might take me up on that._

_Well, I chose to play a Cait Sith, that race has bonuses to beast taming and a little research shows that they’re only the ones who have tamed dragons. Well, Pina was a dragon and I figured that I would look for another feathered dragon to tame. But Pina is already back! We’re both in Freelia, the Cait Sith capital, right now, just looking around to get a feel for the place. Coming in like I did from the race selection was awesome! Did you go through something similar, falling down and getting a view like that? Did have to flip to nail the landing, and some players were surprised that I did. I guess a freshly generated character doesn’t do that often. I wonder what they mean by not seeing a new inductee to the Dirt Dart Club._

_I’ll probably log off in a few minutes. Is it strange that I’m tempted to log back in, and then back off a few times?_

Harry snorted at that. No, that was not strange at all. He had that temptation himself.

_Anyway, I see that Strea and Yui are in ALO. And that you’re here as well and in Swilvane. Isn’t that the Sylph capital? So that means that you chose Sylph as your race. I thought you were more likely to pick a different one, honestly. But then I remember some of the things you told me in SAO._

_Well, going to send Strea and Yui a message. Did you do so already?_

_I’ll call you tonight._

_Keiko_

Harry closed the message and nodded to himself. He had considered rolling a Cait Sith, if only because he knew that Keiko would pick that one just to tame another dragon. She missed Pina deeply, even if she had a cat that had the same name, but it wasn’t the same. Hell, he missed the flying feather duster himself. She had been a part of both his and his wife’s, and he will be considering her his wife in here and fuck what Outside thinks about that, lives since the… fourth floor of SAO if he remembered right.

She was a part of their little family, so having her back was definitely good.

**Nerima, Potter-Black Apartment**

Dudley heard the shifting of Harry’s body and turned to see his cousin pull the Nerve Gear off his head and breathed a sigh of relief. He knew it was unlikely for him to be trapped in a game again, but if it happened to his cousin once, it could happen again. Better safe than sorry.

“So, how did it go?” He asked his cousin.

Harry grinned. “Dudley, next time I go in, I’m taking you with me, you’ll love it,” he said.

Dudley blinked. “So I take it that you liked what you saw?” He asked.

Harry nodded, still grinning. “Didn’t do much, picked my race, saw how a new player is introduced to where they’ll start, and then ran into Kazuto’s sister of all people,” he said. “We chatted a bit until she had to go meet up with the group she’s partying with and I then took a look at some things, like my menus and stats.”

“They were good, right?”

“In a way,” Harry said. “After that, I checked my Friend’s List, and it was the same one I had in SAO. Finding Strea and Yui was easy, I sent a message, and then Keiko sent me a message, stating she managed to talk her parents into letting her play, though she hinted that they had already expected it. She even thinks her mum might join her on occasion.” He then grinned. “And since I successfully logged off, I’m tempted to log back in, and then log back off a few times.”

Dudley gave Harry an odd look. “That’s… weird,” he said.

Harry gave his cousin a smile. “But you can understand why I would be tempted, I believe.” He said.

Dudley snorted. “Oh, I know why you would be tempted to do that, and probably will do it anyway,” he said drily. “I’m just saying it’s weird.”

“And when did I ever do normal?” Harry asked with a chuckle. “Anyway, I verified that Strea and Yui are indeed in there. There was something odd, though.”

Dudley gave his cousin a look. “Odd in a good way, or odd in a bad way?” He asked.

“Yes.” Harry said, causing his cousin to scowl.

“Not funny.” Dudley said.

Harry looked at his Nerve Gear. “To be honest, I don’t really know,” he admitted. “It might be because my character data is saved on this, Strea and Yui did something, or CARDINAL did.” He said. “But my character data was the same. Had to delete the stuff that wasn’t recognized by the system, just in case.” He then put the Nerve Gear down. “Anyway, let’s go and grab something to eat. Keiko’s been telling me about this one place that serves Okonomiyaki that’s run by some friends of her family. Ucchan’s is what it’s called.”

“Okonomiyaki, what’s that?” Dudley asked.

Harry smiled. “Come and find out,” he said. “I know that what I tried in Aincrad during our second anniversary being there wasn’t quite it, but it tasted pretty good. Hell, there’s a takoyaki vendor down the street as well, and I wouldn’t mind trying the real thing, either.”

Dudley thought about it and then nodded. “Sounds good, and I will admit, the food here in Japan’s not bad,” he said. “Different from what I’m used to, but not bad.”

“I’ll see if Sirius is up to it,” Harry said. “And if our minders are up for a bite, since Sirius is keeping my wand for now.”

“Still surprised that you’re not bothered by that fact,” Dudley commented.

“Oh, I _am_ bothered by it,” Harry said. “But that’s because I’m still not used to not being armed all the time whenever I was out of my room at an inn, or outside the villa after we got it.”

**December 24, 2024 - Alfheim, Arun**

Yui was waiting at the gate that was Arun’s entrance via the road that would lead to Uruna and found herself tapping her fingers on the haft of her spear as she waited for Strea to catch up. Granted, she was a Spriggan, who was naturally lighter and faster than a Gnome, but she wasn’t trying to go _that_ fast. Probably.

“Come on, Strea,” she called back to the Gnome. “I want to get this quest done quickly!”

“Easy Yui,” Strea replied. “And you all called _me_ impatient.” She glanced at Yui’s spear. “Going with a spear today?”

Yui nodded. “I found it works for me, and we’re going to be outside, so I won’t have to worry about things like walls, ceilings, stalagmites… the kind of things which make me wish I had something better than a dagger for close in work.”

 

“And that’s if you’re not trying to avoid fighting anyway,” Strea noted. “Which isn’t a bad idea, but you need to work on weapon skills more. What if your illusions don’t work?”

Yui sighed. “Trust me, I know,” she said. “Dying and waiting for your Remain Light to dissipate and then waking up in Uruna a few times taught me not to rely on _just_ illusions.” She tapped her spear on the ground. “Anyway, let’s get this done. I don’t know when or if the others will be logging on later, both Harry and Silica had sent very brief messages a couple of days ago, but…”

Strea nodded with a sigh. “That was more for them to make contact with us,” she said. “Though I wonder about the expressions on their faces when they realized that CARDINAL set it up so they can have their stats from SAO.” She chuckled at that. “Though I bet Silica is happy to have Pina back. But if they aren’t on now, then they probably will be tonight. No point worrying right now, we have a quest to do and see if that data from CARDINAL checks out.”

“We’re going into Sylph Territory, so please don’t start any trouble there,” Yui said.

“Don’t worry about that,” Strea said. “I’m not _that_ reckless. At least we don’t have to go into Swilvane, just the area around it.”

“Still, better we don’t draw attention to ourselves.”

**Kawagoe, Kirigaya Residence**

Kazuto logged off his computer after checking his emails and then glanced at his Nerve Gear before consciously turning his attention away from it. As much as he wanted to log into ALO and get into contact with Strea and Yui, not to mention see what it was all about, he had promised his mother to wait and take some time readjust to being in the real world. But it was tempting...

He understood the hidden meaning behind her words, she didn’t want to lose him to a game again. Being in a game… it was familiar to him now, and the real world wasn’t. Harry and Keiko had warned him that it would all be strange, and that the instincts they had relied on to survive for two years would be going wild.

He looked at his room’s door and frowned. Perhaps he should check up on Sugu and see if she was up for anything. Staying in his room, as comforting as it was, was not healthy for him and he needed to get out and about.

He couldn’t avoid the outside world forever. But where would he go?

His phone chimed with the sound he set for when he received a text message. Checking it, he saw that it was from Harry wondering if he could meet him and Keiko at Akihabara Station in a couple of hours. _Hmm, meet Harry and Keiko in Akiba?_ He thought. _Well, it’s an excuse to get out, and I do have the money to get there and back, and knowing them, they’ve already contacted the others, so it won’t be just them. I wonder if I should bring Sugu with me._

**Setagaya, Yuuki Residence**

Asuna made sure she had everything in her handbag before she left her room. She still needed to inform her mother about her plans, and was glad that she had already met the study goals that had been set for the day. She and her mother still didn’t agree on several things, but at least they were trying to reach compromises on them. Catching up on her academics was a reasonable one, and would give her a head start when the school year started.

No point studying for entrance exams when her education through high school would be taken care of. Not that she didn’t know the unspoken reasons for getting all those who were students when SAO began.

She grabbed her tablet and walked to the room her mother used as an office and knocked.

“Come in,” her mother said.

Quietly opening the door, Asuna walked in and waited for her mother to finish whatever she was doing and turning her attention over to her.

Turning to face her daughter, Kyouko took in what she saw. “So you’re heading out then?” She asked.

Asuna nodded and handed her mother her tablet. “I finished what I intended to study for the day,” she said. “I am meeting my friends at Akihabara station, and one of the survivors I did regular business with in SAO owns a business of his own there, the Dicey Cafe.”

Taking the tablet, Kyouko nodded. “I will look over this and see how you are progressing and that you didn’t make mistakes out of your haste,” she said and then nodded. “Not that I expect many, you have done a satisfactory job so far. If you won’t be back in time for dinner, give me a call.”

Asuna nodded and excused herself. Most would think that her mother’s coldness made her a bad mother, but Asuna knew that she cared deeply for her. Her words, saying that she has done a satisfactory job to this point was praise from her.

She checked the time on her phone as she headed out the door, saying her goodbyes to Mrs. Sada, the family maid on her way out. She idly considered taking some time to learn how to cook some more dishes from her later as she walked to the bus stop to get to the Ginza line. It would take a little over an hour to get to Akihabara Station.

**Chiyoda, Akihabara Station**

Nijika checked the time on her phone again and sighed as she watched the crowds and idly sipped a coffee. They hadn’t specified a specific time, but her last text from Asuna said that she would be there soon. Harry and Keiko should be coming out of the terminal any minute now as well. Kazuto was coming from Kawagoe, so it would take him a bit longer. She looked over to Hiyori, who was talking with Nanairo and in all likelihood telling embarrassing stories of her.

“No way, they really crashed a dragon into a building?” Her sister asked, laughing.

“They did,” Hiyori said. “The same night we were having Keiko’s Hen Party, Klein grabbed Harry and Kazuto and took them on a bar crawl throughout Algade. They were so drunk that they thought it was a good idea. Asuna had to go to the first floor and pick them up from jail.”

“And it was totally worth it,” Rain heard Harry say. She turned to see him and Keiko walking up, with Harry’s cousin and godfather trailing behind. Harry was smirking at the memory. “Hadn’t had that much fun in a while by that point. Still not the best day I ever had there, or anywhere, really.”

“Oh?” Nanairo asked. “What would be the best day you had there then?”

“Marrying her,” Harry said as if it was completely obvious, indicating his fiancée.

“And I bet the wedding night was a good one as well,” Nijika snarked. “Not that you two ever confirmed or denied anything.”

Harry and Keiko both smirked. “Ask us no questions about that, and we’ll tell you no lies,” Harry said.

“Besides, we didn’t want you to be living vicariously through us,” Keiko chimed in.

Nanairo looked confused, as did Dudley. “Okay, I didn’t quite get that,” Dudley admitted in English. “I mean, this earpiece helps me with understanding Japanese, and I picked a bit up, but I’m not that smart.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Harry said in English. “Just us making a comment about the occasional questions Keiko and I were often asked after we got married and how we handled them.”

“Oh?” Nanairo asked, keeping to Japanese. “And how did you?”

“Neither confirm, nor deny,” Keiko said. “Well, that and starting rumors about it.” She snickered. “The ones we started during our honeymoon were good ones.”

“And I already know where this is going, into the gutter,” Nanairo said in English. “Hey Dudley, you know where I can get one of those earpieces?”

“Got it from some friends of Harry’s family,” Dudley replied. “So sadly, I don’t know where they got it. Why? Your Japanese is a lot better than mine is. Hell, your _English_ is better than mine, and I’m _from_ England. Can’t quite place the accent beyond being American, but more educated.”

“I have a Ph.D. from MIT,” Nanairo said as if it was nothing. “I had to make sure my speaking and writing was clear, especially when writing my thesis and then defending it.”

Everyone stopped and stared at her.

“Nijika, your sister has a Ph.D.?” Harry asked. “At her age?”

Nijika nodded proudly. “She does, and even gave me a translated copy of her thesis to read while I was in the hospital,” she said. “Only understood about a third of it.” She smirked. “But my sister is smarter than all of us, isn’t she?”

“That’s… quite the understatement,” Hiyori said.

Dudley just looked at her and then shook his head. “Smarter than me?” He asked musingly. “She’s a bloody genius.”

“That she is,” Nijika agreed and then checked the time on her cellphone. “And when are the rest coming?”

“I would say right now,” Harry said, pointing toward the train terminal.

##

Suguha had to admit, she had been skeptical about accompanying her brother to Akiba to spend some time with his friends. Oh, she had no problem with his associations, but she didn’t think she belonged and that she would just get in the way. She was glad, however, that she wasn’t the only one from outside that group that was present, though she wondered if they even noticed a few things.

Like how the six of them had easily and smoothly gotten into a party formation which allowed them to watch all angles. Or how they were all scanning their surroundings, occasionally reaching for a weapon that wasn’t there. And they had also subtly steered the group around others, as if they spotted potential trouble.

Things she wouldn’t have noticed if it wasn’t for her experiences in ALO. She had been in enough parties such things were obvious to her. Watching for any signs of mobs, or enemy players was second nature to her in there. But seeing it out here was…

“It’ll take time for them to not have their instincts telling them to be alert all the time,” the man who had accompanied Harry, Sirius, if she remembered right, said quietly. “I doubt that they’ll lose all the habits they developed in SAO, but they’re adapting fine to being back in the real world. It will just take some time.”

“I find that hard to believe,” she responded quietly. “Kazuto… he doesn’t like to get out and about. Granted, that’s not much of a change from before SAO, but it’s almost like he’s… afraid to leave our house.”

“Not so much afraid,” Sirius countered. “But he considers the place safe, where he can relax his guard. Harry’s the same at our apartment, but he relaxes a bit when he’s out and about with people he knows he can trust.” He grinned. “Especially with Keiko.”

“Like you and his cousin?” She asked.

Sirius shook his head. “No,” he said. “We haven’t gone through the same experiences he has. I’ve been through similar, so I understand that.”

“Are you saying my brother doesn’t trust me?” Suguha asked sharply.

“No,” Sirius said. “He trusts you as family, which is different than the trust that he, my godson, and the others share. They’ve all fought alongside each other, bled together and saved each other’s lives.”

Suguha nodded. “So, it’s like the friends I made in ALO who I know out here in the real world,” she said. “Not the same, but along those lines?”

“Haven’t played it,” Sirius admitted. “But I wouldn’t be surprised if there are similarities.”

**Dicey Cafe**

“Welcome to the Dicey Cafe!” A large man said as they entered the door. “Take a-- Hey you guys!”

“Hey Agil!” Harry called and then turned to the others. “Sirius here recommended this place, apparently he’s been a regular when SAO was going on. And to be honest, I can use the opportunity to sit down.”

“Well don’t just stand there, take a seat, and its Andrew here in the real world” Andrew said. “And Sirius, as in Sirius Black? My wife said you were a regular. We don’t have too much, but I do have some food items on the menu. As for drinks, I can’t give you your usuals from SAO for obvious reasons, but I do have a nice selection of non-alcoholic drinks.”

They moved to an open table. Both Harry and Kirito held chairs out for Keiko and Asuna to take their seats, with Nijika and Hiyori making comments about not knowing that Kazuto and Asuna had become boyfriend and girlfriend, to the two’s embarrassment. An embarrassment that clearly wasn’t helped by Harry and Keiko’s amused comments.

Spying the confused looks on the other’s faces, Harry shook his head. “A bit of an inside joke among us,” he said. “We’ve been wondering how long it would be until those two got together like Keiko and I. SAO ended before that could happen, but they should have known that we wouldn’t stop this.”

“Screw you, Harry,” Kirito said.

“You’d have to buy me dinner first, and make sure Keiko won’t get jealous,” Harry shot right back.

“Me get jealous?” Keiko asked. “I would be asking to watch.”

Both Harry and Kazuto stopped and then stared at her for a moment before raising a hand.

“I think that counts as a point to Keiko, don’t you?” Asuna asked everyone.

“I don’t know Asuna, that sounded like it was too easy,” Hiyori said.

“Then again, it’s those two,” Nijika said. “They walk into it often enough.”

“You two think we’re missing something here?” Dudley asked Suguha and Nanairo.

“I think it’s a running game between them,” Nanairo said. “You know, make a comment, come up with a smartass response, and counter. But they lose to the girls, as it should be.”

“Oi!” Harry and Kazuto protested.

“I think the point goes to her,” Suguha said, smirking.

Andrew came over and handed out menus, chuckling. “Well, order whatever you like.”

“I’ll head up to the bar,” Sirius said, getting up. “Don’t go too crazy and order something I wouldn’t order, or a lot of the things I would.”

“Everyone, the designated adult,” Harry drily said, waving at him. Sirius gave them all a mockingly theatrical bow as they laughed.

**Alfheim, Swilvane**

Leafa logged in and began to walk around, waving to players who greeted her. The day had been interesting. Meeting the ones her brother had fought alongside had been an enlightening experience, and also showed that, for all they tried to act normal, SAO had left its mark on them. Still, they were good people.

She still needed to confirm that the Hadrian she met last night and Harry were one and the same, though.

“Hey, have you heard about that new player in the sparring ring?” She heard someone say.

“Heard about him? I’ve seen him in action.” Came the response. “And looking at his gear and some other things, you can tell he’s a newbie here, but he knows his way around a sword. Said it was to get used to how things work here.”

“And given that he’s using the same name as the Mystic Knight from SAO, people were calling him out on that.”

“I take it you mean Hadrian?” Leafa asked as she turned to the talkers.

Both of them looked startled before turning to her. “Leafa, you heard that?” One asked.

Leafa nodded. “I ran into him last night and warned him, but I also have a feeling that he might be the real deal,” she said. “So, how has he been doing?”

“Destroying everyone who challenges him,” the other said. “As I said, he is _good_.”

Leafa nodded. “I’m going to check it out,” she said. _And see if he’s willing to spar with me,_ she thought. _I’d like to see how I would match up to him. The others as well, but he’s a Sylph, and I don’t know if the others decided to play ALO._

##

Sakuya watched as the new Sylph, Hadrian, decimated another opponent, only to have Sigurd come to the fore to challenge him. She hadn’t seen what caused this, but she had a good idea why. This Hadrian had taken a name associated with an SAO player who was both famous and infamous for his accomplishments. Famous, because he was a very skilled fighter who had been at the front lines of clearing SAO. Infamous, because of his being known to have very lethal responses to those who had taken murder up as a hobby. _How many was it he killed there, nine? Ten?_ She thought.

There was another Sylph watching, a rather hefty one. Not fat, but he was definitely one who would make for a good tank. “Bloody hell,” he said in English. “It’s one thing to see it through the streams, but in person?”

Sakuya nodded. “Indeed young man,” she said in the same language, getting his attention. “And if he really is that Hadrian, then…”

“He is, ma’am,” The young man said. “I’m Dud- I mean, BigD, trying to get a more positive rep to that nickname.” He chuckled in embarrassment.

Sakuya smiled. “Greetings BigD,” she said with a smile. “I’m Sakuya, Leader of the Sylphs.”

BigD’s eyes widened and she turned back to the fight.

Sigurd was lasting longer than the others, but Sakuya could tell he was on the back foot, and the only reason he was lasting this long was due to his opponent, if it really was that Hadrian, holding back. Well, and not having a shield, which had been a core component in his fighting style in SAO. Not that being without one was hindering him all that much, and he was showing that he was quite capable of defending himself without one.

Soon, it was over when Hadrian had disarmed Sigurd and had a sword at his throat, concluding the match. He had backed away, not taking his eyes off his opponent before sheathing his blade in one smooth motion and turned to walk away. Sigurd moved to hit the young man from behind only to have Hadrian dodge the attack as if he had eyes in the back of his head and slam the sheath into Sigurd’s gut, knocking the breath out of the older Sylph.

“Sigurd, _enough_!” She called out. “You’re the one who challenged him, and he won.”

“He has to have cheated, Lady Sakuya!” Sigurd protested. “There is no way someone new to ALO could be that good a fighter!”

“He can be if he actually is _that_ Hadrian, Sigurd,” Sakuya said coolly. “And if he is, then he was holding back. Now _stand down_.” Not for the first time, she wondered why she had given him a position of authority in the territory. She then had to remind herself, again, that he really was good at his job. Didn’t keep him from being a pain in her posterior, though. She watched as Sigurd stalked off, clearly angry and wondered if his being good at his job was worth the hassle of keeping the arrogant ass in a position of authority.

She looked at Hadrian speculatively. His skills with a sword were top notch, but also showed that all of his skill came from experience, not training. She idly wondered how Leafa would stack up before dismissing the thought. “And that,” she said, clapping politely. “Was an excellent match.  You are quite skilled, young man.”

Hadrian turned to her and bowed in the Western Style to her. “I like to think I know a thing or two, my lady,” he said. “Those skills did keep me alive for two years.”

Sakuya nodded. “And that means that you are _the_ Hadrian then?” She enquired.

Hadrian nodded. “I am,” he said.

“Then your skills are well earned indeed,” Sakuya said. “So, what brings you to Alfheim Online? I would think that one who has lived through Sword Art Online would not be eager to play another VRMMO.”

“Would you be surprised if I said a part of me misses it?” Hadrian asked. “I spent two years in there, and it wasn’t all grim fighting and worrying about dying. There were good times in there as well.”

“Such as your wedding, I would imagine,” Sakuya said knowingly.

Hadrian gave a soft smile at that. “That was the happiest day so far in my life,” he said. “And I know that my wife thinks so as well.”

Sakuya raised an eyebrow. “I doubt they let the marriage stand,” she said. “Not in the real world, at least.”

Hadrian held up his left hand, showing the ring on his finger. “And they didn’t, but the virtual world is a different story,” he said with certainty. “And in a few years, the legal reasons for us not being married in the real world will be moot anyway.”

Sakuya heard the sound of someone landing, that familiar thump as weight transfers from the air to the ground and turned to see who had arrived. “Ah, Leafa,” she said. “I guess you heard about what was going on here?”

Leafa nodded and then looked at Hadrian. “I did,” she said. “And I want to see how I compare to him, if he’s willing.”

Hadrian nodded. “I have heard about your skills in Kendo from Kirito,” he said. “So facing someone who has formal training… I would be honored.”

Sakuya didn’t miss the anticipatory gleam in his eyes, and it seemed as if BigD and Leafa also noticed it. _Leafa better be ready_ , she thought. _This is someone who has fought alongside her brother clearing SAO. One doesn’t survive those battles by being unskilled and I can tell he was holding back in his previous matches._

##

Harry watched his opponent, taking in her stance, footing, and the slight twitching of muscles that could be signs of what she would do. _Her stance is balanced,_ he thought. _Middle guard position, leaving the fewest easy to reach openings and well designed for both defense and offense. Kirito’s favored a low stance when using one weapon, favoring attacks and counters, but I can now see Kendo’s influence on how he fights._ His SA was sensing her focus on him and was warning him of several potential attacks, but would only give him an instant’s warning, at best, when she committed to one.

Leafa took a slight step forward, her leading foot not leaving the ground. He saw her sword’s angle shift slightly and she darted forward, her sword already swinging for an attack. His mind shifted from analytic to instinctive with practiced, natural ease.

Harry parried it easily, quickly whipped his sword out in a quick attack. Nothing meant to do a lot of damage, just to test her reflexes. He wasn’t disappointed in her blocking his attack before disengaging and leaping back. _Good, she knows better than to lock blades_ , he thought in satisfaction. _And_ damn _she’s fast. Not as fast as Asuna, but with her skill and speed, I might actually lose this match if I’m not careful._ He grinned. _This is going to be_ fun.

##

Leafa let out a quiet growl as her attack was dodged by her opponent and his quick attacks forcing her to move out of position. Her parry barely made it in time, and she then was forced to back step to avoid his using the momentum from her parry to attack again.

_How is he keeping up with my speed?_ She thought. While she wouldn’t pretend to be as fast as what she had seen of Asuna from the SAO footage, she was considered one of the fastest Sylphs for a reason. But her opponent was always ready for her, as if he was reading her moves even through her speed.

If that was the case, then he was good at tracking even minor movements, and had the reflexes to take advantage of that fact. The fact that he also had combat instincts honed in SAO, and not yet dulled in the weeks since SAO ended, was making her work to just match him.

_If he’s like this, then I wonder what fighting Kazuto would be like,_ she thought. She saw her opponent’s grin and matched it. She was having _fun_.

##

Harry had gotten a handle on how she fought. Unlike most of those he had matches with, she used actual technique, rather than more refined versions of hack and slash. In terms of pure skill, he would rate her as better than him due to that. However…

He parried her blade and then buried his left fist into her gut, knocking the wind out of her.

His experience was earned in a far more dangerous setting. And it had taught him several harsh lessons. Lessons that he was fortunate to survive to learn.

She quickly got her bearings back and lashed out with an attack that he easily dodged. Her next attacks were parried and he then stepped in to lock the blades. “You’re more skilled than I am,” he told her. “But I think you know what the difference between us is, and how this fight will end.”

Leafa nodded and they separated. “You’re still holding back,” she said. “Not much, but…”

Harry nodded, the unspoken words of what it meant if he didn’t hold back didn’t need to be said. She knew enough of what happened in SAO to know what his not holding back against someone else would entail, and he had the body count to prove it.

**Alfheim, Freelia**

Silica gave a yelp as she lost control and splashed down into the water where the flying practice area was. She had made sure to ask around the town for advice on the flying, where a good area to practice was, and if there was someone available to teach her. While the latter wasn’t available, there were plenty of Cait Sith who were willing to give tips and advice with regard to flying with the controller, but she noticed a few who didn’t need it.

Outside of them telling her that it was an advanced skill that not everyone could get a full handle on, even otherwise skilled flyers, one of them, a girl named Nekoma, had started to teach her. The fact that she had to think of her wings as extensions of her body, with muscles and bones to control them was simple enough. She hadn’t spent two years in SAO without learning a few things about how virtual bodies worked.

It was using them and controlling her flight that was the hard part, and she ended up getting drenched regularly.

“You’re doing better, Silica!” Nekoma cheered.

Brushing the wet hair out of her eyes as she climbed out of the water, Silica gave a sardonic grin. “Getting better at flying, or better at diving and swimming?” She asked drily.

“Umm... yes?” Nekoma said uncertainly. “It takes time to get down, but the fact that you’ve gotten this far this quickly is amazing!”

“I have experience with the virtual world,” Silica said as Pina flew down and landed in her arms. Giving the feathered dragon a gentle scratch, she saw Nekoma staring at her. “What is it?”

“A feathered dragon, and that name… you’re really her, aren’t you?” Nekoma asked, a complicated expression on her face. “You’re Silica, the Dragon Princess of SAO. I… I can’t believe I missed that.”

“It’s that much of a surprise?” Silica asked.

"It is,” Nekoma said with a laugh. “Once you wanted to head out, I was going to warn you that having the name of a famous SAO player was going to draw attention to you. And not of the good kind, but with Pina there… that’ll be proof enough right there. Though that might still draw the attention of those with more balls than brains.”

“Oh?”

“Silica, the fact that you have a tamed feathered dragon is proof,” Nekoma said. “Between SAO and ALO, there is only one case of someone taming a feathered dragon. You. There are those who would see you being here as a challenge.”

Silica blinked and then looked at Pina who simply chirped at her. She wondered if Harry was having to deal with what she had been told.

**December 26, 2024 - Chiyoda, Karatachi Residence**

The ringing of Nanairo’s cellphone had them look at it in surprise. “ _Sestra_ , were you expecting any phone calls?” Nijika asked.

Nanairo shook her head. “No, I wasn’t.” She said as she picked up her cellphone. “I wonder who it is… Nijika, it’s dad.”

Nijika gave the phone a hard look, her eyes narrowed. “Answer it, and see if he’s willing to talk to me,” she said.

Nanairo nodded. “Hello?” She asked in English. “Hey dad. Yes, I’m fine being here over the holidays. Oh, you got that grant for that one research project? Nice. Umm, mom’s not here right now, but Nijika is. Yes, she wants to talk to you, and _yes_ I think she’s going to have some choice words to say to you.” She paused for a moment and then nodded. “All right then, I’m handing it over to her.” She handed the cellphone to her older sister.

“Hello, father,” Nijika said very carefully in Russian.

_“I am glad that you are free of Sword Art Online, Nijika,”_ her father said from his end in the same language. " _And I already know you want to have some words with me. If you would wait a few days, you can do so in person, and I can correct your cursing at me while you do.”_

Nijika blinked. “What?”

Her father chuckled through the phone. _“I watched your activities in SAO when I had the time,_ ” he said. _“It was initially something that many of us did for research purposes, the psychology, the sociology, how you interacted with and adapted to the virtual world you were in, but I then saw you were there. I do wish I had found this out sooner than I did and come by. Your mother had some choice words for me as it was, but… what had been done, cannot be undone. And as for your cursing… did you get all of that off of Google Translate?”_

“Well, it wasn’t like finding someone who would teach me such was readily available here,” Nijika said. “If I was in college, that might have changed, but for a girl who was still in high school?” She snorted. “I could demand an apology from you, but…”

She heard the sigh. _“I won’t apologize for what I did. What worth would they be? There were reasons for my decision. Outside of getting you both out of Russia before your sister’s intelligence got known to certain people, I believed that her intelligence would be better nurtured in America. Your mother didn’t agree with that decision, and we divorced.”_

“I _know_ that much, father,” Nijika said coldly. “Nine years. It was nine _fucking_ years before mom even saw her again. And she saw me for the first time in that long lying in a hospital bed."

" _As I saw you for the first time in nine years in a fucking hospital bed,_ " her father replied calmly-- and she hated the part of her that wanted him to get mad, to raise his voice, to fight her. " _There were consequences to my actions, Nijika, I won't deny that. I've had to live with them too-- and live with the fact_ you three _had to live with them._ "

“And that just makes it all _right_?” Nijika asked angrily.

“ _Your anger at me is well justified, daughter,_ ” her father said. _“And I would surmise that it was that anger which helped spur you on inside SAO.”_

"How the _fuck_ are you so calm about this?" she finally snapped.

There was a long pause.

" _Because I haven't really 'gotten you back' yet, Snowflake,"_ her father finally said. " _And I do. I really want my daughter back._ "

**Katsushika, Tokyo Detention House**

Noboyuki Sugou fumed as word about the survivors of SAO all now being out of the hospital and getting on with their lives finally reached him. What made it worse, was that he knew full well that several of the others in the prison had known within days of it happening, and had intentionally kept him from finding out so they could jeer at him for being out of the loop.

Not that he was anyone's favorite here. They all feared his genius, of course.

“I had it all planned out,” he said to himself. “I could have freed them, or used them for my research. Manipulating everything, making myself wealthy and famous, all of that could have been _mine_.”

“And you had the stupid idea to do something that caused a major glitch and risked everyone in there, Sugou.”

Sugou blinked and slowly turned.

The man was fit, and had tattoos flashing from under his sleeves. Yakuza. What had he done to earn their attention?

Soon enough, his unvoiced question was answered. “Sitting there, monologuing like you're in a cheap anime. One of those people you were so keen to play with was my little brother." The 'brother' (in more than one sense, his brain unhelpfully reminded him) was being joined by a few other inmates as he crossed his arms. "He still died in there, but it was because of his own actions. And while I would like nothing more than to get my hands on the one who killed him, he’s dead, so you’ll do.”

"...Guards?" he managed.

"My sister got out," a voice called out. "But... there was still that glitch he made."

"We'll behave," the Yakuza said with a mean grin.

“Ah, I have some paperwork I should catch up on," the voice replied. "As long as I don't have to fill out the death forms soon… suicides are such a bother to explain and get a coroner to sign off on."

"You shouldn't," another inmate said, cracking his knuckles.

Sugou gulped heavily. When had his life lost its proper plot?

**Nerima, Saotome-Tendo Dojo**

“Uncle Ryoga!” Keiko cheered happily from where she was talking with the family friend, alien, and honorary Earthling, Gordon Shumway. “You made it!”

"... I can't even object when people are surprised anymore," the Eternally Lost Man admitted.

“Hey, at least it only took you two weeks since SAO ended, P-chan!” Ranma exclaimed.

“I would pound you for that, Ranma, but I want to see Keiko,” Ryoga smirked.

"Sane man. Still, I took less time to get here, and I crossed interstellar space," Gordon noted with what was a smirk on his face.

It took time, but the Melmacian was very expressive when you learned to read him.

Ryoga shrugged and looked around. “So, have you brought the boy you’re sweet on by to meet the family yet?” He asked Keiko.

“We were in the same hospital, so they met him there,” Keiko said. “And gave him the traditional ‘Saotome Family Welcome,’ Abridged due to him still being in the hospital.”

“He took being turned into a girl with some Instant Jusenkyo Powder better than expected,” Ranma said. “Outside of a brief inspection, all he did was say ‘I hope this is not permanent.’”

Ryoga nodded. “And you didn’t wait until I was here to see it?” He asked.

Ranma shrugged. “Blame Akira and Ko, they didn’t want to wait,” he said, indicating his sons.

Without looking, Ryoga pointed at the two. "We are sparring later, boys."

"And it doesn't sound like the fun kind," Gordon noted with a snicker.

"You can watch, Cat-Eater," Ryoga noted.

"I retract my prior assessment." Gordon said, causing everyone to laugh even as Ranma's sons declared they were doomed.

“Oh, and Uncle Ryoga, it’s a bit more than us being sweet on each other,” Keiko said, raising her left hand to show the ring on it. “We don’t know the hows and whys, but… we’re basically married and have been since we got married in SAO. Not that it really matters out here in the real world.” She grumbled

“Until you two are at least old enough to file the paperwork, and preferably after you’re both done with schooling, you’re engaged,” Sumire said, walking in. “And wait at least until then before engaging in certain activities, at least out here. I’m not ready to become a grandmother quite yet.”

“Mom!” Keiko protested with a blush.

“What?” Ryoga asked.

“P-oyajii, it’s been too long.” Sumire said. “And as for what I said, none of us believe for a moment that they have been completely platonic in their marriage within SAO.” She smirked. “And neither of them help their case due to their refusal to confirm or deny that they have engaged in certain activities.”

Keiko’s blush deepened.

“So… why did you say ‘out here’, and what did you mean by it?” Ryoga sked.

Sumire looked at her furiously blushing daughter and smirked. “Because if they haven’t thought about going into ALO to do so, they will soon enough,” she said.

“Sumire, are you giving Keiko ideas?” Gordon asked, amusement in his voice. “I thought it was the parent’s job to be a _good_ influence, not a bad one.”

They all heard the doorbell ring, and Keiko took the opportunity to vacate the room. “I’ll get it!” She exclaimed.

Ryoga looked at Sumire, raising an eyebrow. “So, you do this often?” He asked.

Sumire smirked. “It’s a mother’s duty and privilege to tease and embarrass her daughter.” She said. “And frankly, I’d rather them use the virtual world for certain activities, rather than the real one. We don’t understand enough about the magic in their rings, not even several experts, but it is best to assume that if they do engage in certain activities in the real world, they will be anticipating the birth of their first child sooner, rather than later.”

##

Harry blinked as Keiko opened the door with a flushed face. “Keiko?” He asked.

“Had to get away from my mother’s teasing,” she explained.

“Still teasing you about her hoping you don’t make her a grandmother yet?” He asked.

Keiko nodded. “I dealt with it easily in SAO, but any time she does it, it just embarrasses me,” she grumbled.

“It’s because she’s your mum, Keiko,” Harry said, giving her a quick hug. “Treasure that she and the rest of your family are around to embarrass you.”

“Harry…” she said quietly.

Harry just gave a smile and a half-hearted shrug.

“Oh, right!” Keiko backed inside. “Come on in!”

Harry nodded and entered, “Sorry for intruding,” he said, using the customary announcement for a guest’s arrival. Taking his shoes off in the genkan, he looked around. “So this is your grandparent’s home?” He asked, taking the house slippers Keiko offered and slipping them on as he stepped onto the raised floor.

“It is,” came a voice, causing both to turn and see Akane Saotome walking out of the kitchen. “It’s been in the Tendo family for generations, since the Edo period, actually.”

“Oh, good afternoon, Mrs. Saotome,” Harry said and then handed her a wrapped gift. “It isn’t much, but here is a little something.”

Akane smiled and accepted it. Harry hoped that it would be appreciated. He had to ask Miss Hanaori, who had been assigned to watch over him this day, what an appropriate gift would be.

She turned back toward the kitchen. “Kasumi, you good in there?” She called.

“I’ll be fine,” came the response, and Harry started at the sound of the voice. He knew that Doctor Ono was Keiko’s great aunt, but didn’t expect her to be here. He looked at Keiko with a raised eyebrow.

“The family tries to gather together for Christmas and New Year’s,” Keiko said in response to his unasked question. “More for New Year’s. Not everyone is here right now, but we have some family friends over who managed to visit.”

Harry nodded. That made sense to him. He knew that Christmas wasn’t the big holiday in Japan that it was in England, but it was still an excuse to get the family together, especially with New Year’s less than a week away, which _was_ a major holiday.

“And I’m sure he will find one family friend rather interesting,” Akane said with a smile. “After all, he’s come all the way from out of town to see how you’re doing as soon as he got the word.”

Harry’s eyes narrowed and then he looked at Keiko. “So, an out of towner in _that_ sense?” He asked.

Keiko smirked. “You did ask if I knew an alien once,” she said. “Well, now you get to meet him.”

Harry considered that and nodded. “Well, why don’t you introduce us then?” He asked.

##

"You are... Sergeant Major William Gravel?"

Bill nodded to the younger woman standing watch near the Tendo-Saotome Dojo. "Giving him some space, Miss... Kotoha Hanaori?"

The woman's smile was surprisingly earnest and innocent, for a demon hunting samurai. "Really for form's sake. He's in there with Ranma and Akane Saotome, the masters of Anything Goes. Adding to that, Ryoga Hibiki has shown up specifically to see that Miss Ayano is fine.”

“Give or take a few days, that means he may have heard about it a couple of weeks ago,” Bill mused. “From what I’ve heard of him, that’s almost a new record.”

Miss Hanaori chuckled. “And I have seen a few Amazons in the area as well, keeping an eye out,” she said. “Miss Ayano is family to Amazon, Shampoo, given that she was adopted into the Saotome family. And given her accomplishments in SAO, they would certainly watch out for her until she’s recovered enough to be able to take care of herself.”

Bill nodded. He had read up on what little was known in England about this family and its allies and it made for some interesting reading. “What do they think of Mister Potter?” He asked her.

“We approve of him,” an elderly voice said, causing both of them to turn in surprise to see a smirking Shampoo Saotome accompanied by a dwarfish elderly woman. An elderly woman who was perfectly balanced on a staff that was larger than her.

“For all that our definition of traditional gender roles is reversed from much of the world’s,” the elderly woman continued. “More than a few men in our society are warriors, just as many women are content to take care of hearth and home. We are pleased the young man seems rather a balance of both.” She then nodded to Kotoha. “Miss Hanaori, it is a pleasure to meet you again.” She then turned to Bill. “And you are, young man?”

Bill snapped to attention and barely kept him from snapping a salute. The woman was a civilian and not a foreign military officer, but she had an aura around her that commanded immediate respect from him. “Sergeant Major William Gravel, Regimental Sergeant Major of Her Majesty’s Special Air Service, Magical Branch, ma’am.” He said crisply and clearly before relaxing his posture. “But feel free to call me Bill, it’s a common diminutive for William.” That last was said with a sardonic smile.

“Greetings, Sergeant Major, I am Khu Lon, an elder of the Jokokusetzoku Amazon Tribe, but feel free to call me Cologne, everybody here does,” Cologne said with a, equally sardonic smile. “I take it that you are here for young Mister Potter?”

Bill nodded. “Yes,” he said. “There are some things which Her Majesty wishes me to discuss with him. That is all I can say.”

Cologne nodded. “Well then, Sergeant Major, please accompany me.”

Bill knew that it was not a request.

##

Harry gave the man in front of him a carefully neutral look. After he had introduced himself as a member of the S.A.S. and then asking if there was a place where they could discuss some things privately, though the offer for Keiko to be present if she wished was reassuring in its own way. The two of them had a quiet, but quick discussion before it was decided that he would talk to the Sergeant Major alone.

Besides, unless the man made him sign something that prohibited disclosure, or take a magically binding oath, he would share it with his fiancée anyway.

Sergeant Major Gravel took out his wand and cast a series of charms which Harry suspected were to ensure privacy, or at least a reasonable facsimile thereof before he turned back to face him.

“Is this secrecy necessary, Sergeant Major?” He asked.

“In a way, Mister Potter, and you call me Bill after all of this,” Bill replied and then pulled a sealed envelope, out of his coat. “Before we begin, I wish to hand this to you with Her Majesty’s compliments.” He handed it over to Harry, who looked at it curiously. “Please, open and read it.”

Harry carefully did so and took out the letter that was inside. Unfolding it, he began to read.

_Mister Harry Potter,_

_It is Our sincerest pleasure to give Our congratulations and thanks to you and your companions for your efforts in taking part in the satisfactory resolution of Sword Art Online. You played a significant role in freeing six thousand three hundred and seventy-eight people, an accomplishment that many an adult would be hard pressed to achieve._

_We also wish to tender our congratulations on your marriage to Miss Keiko Ayano within Sword Art Online. While the real world does not recognize it on account of your ages, that does not invalidate what you two had or make the memories you made any less real. Your current status as betrothed is a compromise solution that recognizes that were it not for your ages, you would but have to register and file the marriage license. Be patient and give it time, and you will be of age to marry officially and have it legally recognized._

_We hope that the rest of your life will be fulfilling. We and Our successor, Prince William, wish the best for the future for both you and your betrothed._

_Elizabeth R._

Harry read the message over, his eyes wide. The Queen sent him a message congratulating him on his efforts in SAO. Why would she do such, for someone like _him_? “I… I didn’t do anything special,” he said in shock. “I was just doing the right thing, and it wasn’t… I didn’t play that important a role. Kirito, Asuna, the others… they did just as much or more.”

Bill chuckled. “Mister Potter, regardless what you think, you did play a significant part, and she sent you this to acknowledge your part in it,” he said. “It is a rare enough honor, young man. Accept it for what it was, a sincere congratulations for your efforts. Modesty and humility are good traits to have, but too much of each is as bad as arrogance. Regardless of what you think, what you did was worth such praise in her eyes.”

Harry took a breath to calm himself. “Sorry about that, Sergeant Major,” he said. “It was just unexpected, that’s all. I can see her sending her compliments for what I did to help get everyone who was left alive out of SAO. But… are you aware that she congratulated me for marrying Keiko?”

“She did?” Bill asked. “I take it she also said that it is not recognized legally due to your ages, though.”

Harry nodded. “She did, and advised patience in that regard,” he said. “Though she did say that our engagement… wait, she called it a betrothal. Well, she’s aware of that. I wonder how she knew about that. Anyway, she did say that it was a compromise made in light of our ages.”

Bill nodded. “She would recognize it for what it is,” he said. “Still, we should get on with this. Keep the message, and perhaps show it to your fiancée. I think she’ll be highly flattered to have been a part of Her Majesty’s correspondence with you.”

Harry snorted. Flattered was probably an understatement.

From the context of the message, it was clear that she considered them both too young to marry, hence her advising patience. But there was no overt or covert disapproval of their relationship in the letter. Still, that he was given that first, meant that was probably the good news.

“So, I take it that’s the good news?” He asked with a sigh. “Well, time for the bad news then.”

“It depends on whether you consider it bad news, Mister Potter,” Bill said. “But yes, it’s time to get to what I’m here to inform you of. Her Majesty felt it was best that you were informed of this.” He took a breath. “As you are aware, the Ministry of Magic is aware of your violation of the Statute of Secrecy in circumstances that were not _in extremis_ , that means that it was in extreme circumstances, which we have some legal precedent for. Due to the Ministry of Shugenja wishing to have authority for your discipline over the issue, as it involved violating the Statute to Japanese citizens, no charges will be filed, but the violation has been noted in your record. Is that understood?”

“It is, Sergeant Major,” Harry said.

Bill nodded. “Due to you being known very widely in the non-magical world due to your efforts in SAO, returning to Hogwarts is currently out of the question. There has to be record of your recovery, both physical and psychological, and it is expected that you will complete your education in the non-magical world.

“Through negotiations between the Ministry of Education and the Japanese Ministry of Education, as well as their magical counterparts, you are now in Japan on a student visa effective thirty days before the beginning of the current academic year in April. This has already been approved and your current visa will automatically convert over. Don’t ask me how that works. Anyway, your magical and non-magical education will be handled in Japan until you finish high school _and_ test the equivalent of your OWLs. Your magical education is likely to take four years. On the non-magical side, you were thirteen when SAO began, so you will be starting at the equivalent of a first year middle school student at the SAO Survivors School. It will likely be up to six years until you complete high school.”

Harry nodded. “And I’m willing to bet that there are those back in England who would be happy if I remained in Japan as much as possible.” He said.

Bill snorted. “You don’t know the half of it,” he said drily. “While the general opinion of you is positive, your violation of the Statute, unintentional as it was, is a black mark against you and it is best to give it some time. Fortunately, the press is behaving itself on this, but it is likely to take a few months to a year before no one who matters will care about it.”

“I can think of a few,” Harry said. “Lucius Malfoy for one.”

“He was the one who pushed for your education to be completed in Japan if possible, yes.” Bill acknowledged. “Though perhaps not for the reasons you think.”

Harry raised an eyebrow.

Bill smirked. “You did kill Tom Riddle, and he is quite thankful for that,” he said. “He’s still very much a pureblood traditionalist, but when you killed that tit, every single one of his supporters lost the Dark Marks, which had branded them as his supporters. If anything, he fears what you might do back in England if you decide to go into politics.”

Harry blinked. “What.” He said.

“Don’t get me wrong, I have no doubts that you suspect that he’s behind your being here and ending up in Sword Art Online,” Bill said. “A lot of people have that suspicion, but the Wainwrights protect the identities of their clients, and there’s no proof that would stand up in court.”

“Even if it was him, I don’t know whether I should thank him for it or not,” Harry admitted. “Anyway, I think we don’t need to worry about that. Is there anything I need to keep from Keiko and the others?”

“There is nothing that we discussed that must be kept secret,” Bill said. “I would recommend discretion, nonetheless. I believe that your friends have been briefed on their responsibilities with respect to keeping magic secret from those who don’t already know.”

“They were briefed,” Harry said.

“Well then, that gets all of this over and done with then,” Bill said. “I apologize for having to take your time like this, but it was best you be informed of all this.”

“No apologies are necessary, Sergeant Major,” Harry responded.

“We’re done with the official shit, kid.” Bill said. “Call me Bill. I knew your parents. Your dad once tried to outdrink Hagrid.”

Harry barked a laugh. Someone trying to outdrink someone as big as Hagrid? They’d need a cast iron... well, everything.

Once that fit had stilled, Bill grinned and added, "Your mum actually managed it."

Harry blinked. “Wait, my mum drank Hagrid under the table?” He asked.

"It was a high table," Bill allowed.

##

Keiko saw Harry’s expression as he walked out of the room he accompanied the Sergeant Major who introduced himself in. Her… fuck it, whether their marriage was properly registered or not, he was her _husband_ , damn it. Her husband’s eyes met hers and he made his way over.

“How did it go?” She asked him.

“Well, I won’t be returning to England any time soon,” Harry said. “My education is being taken care of here, and that’s all that really needs to be said. I’ll be doing my schooling until I finish high school, so up to six years, I guess.”

"They've set up a school just for us survivors," Keiko said, frowning a little. “I was in the second half of my first year of middle school, and…” She saw Harry’s smile. “What are you smiling about?”

“Guess where I’m starting?” He asked. “We are the same age, after all.”

Keiko thought about it, and realized what it meant. While his non-magical education was pretty much lacking, he could make up the difference due to only two missed years. He would have to put a lot of effort into it to catch up... but her husband had proven himself to be willing to put in the effort before.

"One hopes your young man is more willing to put in the work than Honorable Ranma was at first." And elderly voice said.

Keiko turned and smiled. "Grandma Cologne, if you even think of voicing disapproval of Harry, I will have Gordon take you up into space and leave you there."

Cologne cackled at the smiling threat. “That place has done you some wonders,” she said. “And you would try, Little Keiko. But don’t worry, we actually approve of him."

“That's good, because next I would have asked my old Headmaster to have words with you," Harry said with a matching smile.

"That... is admittedly a bit more worrying,” Cologne admitted. “Young Albus was always more dangerous than he looked."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I have already written this much in such a short time. Too bad that Life has decided to… not be nice to me. Nothing terminal, I am not ill with something, but I need some time to get things back on track. I won’t be posting much for the foreseeable future because of that, but I will continue to write. Heh, perhaps my next update will be a massive one. It’s like a habit now. Still, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
> 
> Still, with this posted, Mystic Knight Online and this follow-up combined has come close to or surpassed 450k words, if I got my count right. Not bad for less than two years of work.


	3. Ignore the Feelings of Doom and Reunite with Friends

**December 26, 2024 - Nerima, Saotome-Tendo Dojo**

Harry stared at the elderly woman who was balanced on her staff so perfectly that he could not see any signs of movement or her working to maintain it. _Young Albus?_ He thought in shock. _She called him_ young? _Just how…?_

“You’re wondering how I can call him _young,_ ” Cologne said in amusement. “I am older than him, but haven’t lived half the time the Flamels have, if that helps.”

Harry snorted. “Hardly, it just sets an upper limit,” he said. “At the same time, it would be impolite to ask you your age. But where are my manners, I am Harry Potter. SAO survivor, wizard, and not yet in the phone book.” He gave her a bow.

Cologne cackled at that. “I don’t quite get what that last part of your introduction is supposed to reference, but I know there’s a joke in there, young man,” she said. “I am Khu Lon, an elder of the Jokokusetzoku Amazon Tribe. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“The pleasure is mine, elder.” Harry replied.

“Ah, such a polite one, especially for a Western youth,” Cologne said looking him over. “You’re recovering nicely as well, both of you are. Can still stand to put a bit of meat on your bones, but best not to rush it and borrow trouble from overdoing it.”

“I’m not inclined to borrow trouble, elder,” Harry said with a wry smile. “It does seem to find me, though-- like an old schoolmate I'd rather avoid but can't help indulging.”

“And I was there to make sure you didn’t get yourself killed,” Keiko noted. “Couldn’t keep you from making an ass of yourself, though. Probably because you were too busy staring at mine.”

Harry nodded. “Indeed I was,” he said cheerfully. “Arse, hips, legs… there were plenty of things to stare at, especially when you were intentionally dressing to draw my eye to them.”

“Shh, not in front of the doddering old woman who could hand us our heads,” Keiko whispered in sotto voice.

Cologne shook her head. “You two do realize that this doddering old woman can hear you, right?” She asked, amused.

“Doddering my arse,” Harry said.

“Now, now sonny boy, at my age, I would never dodder your arse,” Cologne said.

“Why, what’s wrong with it?” Keiko asked. Her voice sounded so innocently curious that Harry wasn’t fooled for a moment. And from the elder’s cackling laughter, neither was she.

“Ah, I see your wit has grown with you, Little Keiko,” Cologne said. “Just don’t be in too much of a hurry to become an adult. You’ve lost enough of your childhoods because of SAO, you don’t need to throw what’s left of it away.”

Harry nodded. “There are reasons why we’re not rushing to look for… loopholes… around the rules that were established for our relationship, elder.” He said. “I don’t know what conclusions you’ve reached, but I was informed about what Professor Dumbledore has concluded.”

Cologne nodded. “That would make sense,” she said. “While I don’t share all of the same conclusions that Young Albus has drawn, I also admit that my knowledge of magic is far less than his. I know enough to know that whatever happened, you both had to want it, and you both entered into it willingly. What other reasons would you need?”

“In other words, we shouldn’t worry about it?” Keiko asked. “Outside of some things, that is.”

Cologne nodded. “Yes,” she said. “There are some things that you know you are not ready for. Now, enough of this serious discussion.” She looked at Harry. “You, young man, are probably wondering how I know Young Albus, right?”

Harry nodded.

“I haven’t always been in my home village, even before coming here,” Cologne said. “And seeing the world can give a needed perspective to a warrior who thinks that the world begins and ends with her home. I met him around a century ago, and saw with my own eyes this seemingly unassuming young man demonstrate his power and capability. Still, it is a shame that I didn’t know he was here a few days ago. It has been some decades since we last talked. Well, I think I should let you two go on about here. I merely wanted to see you for myself, young man.”

“And I hope that what you have seen meets with your approval,” Harry said as he and Keiko then walked off. Keiko wanted to introduce him to some people, after all.

As they walked off, he could swear he heard the elder chuckle. “Oh it does, young man, it does indeed.”

##

Gordon sat near the entrance of the Dojo as he drank a cup of tea that Akane had given him and watched Ryoga hand Ranma’s sons their asses in a sparring match. Both were faster than the solidly built man, but he was tanking everything they threw at him as if their efforts were nothing.

Akira moved in to try and attack the man he had called uncle his entire life, only to have Ryoga move slightly and catch the elder of the Saotome brothers. Ko tried to distract him, only to be calmly and easily rebuffed by the older martial artist.

“I’m going to have to see where they’re getting rusty in,” Ranma said, watching the match. “P-chan rebuffed Ko too easily.”

"... Keiko does that too. Not as naturally and easily...." A young man’s voice said.

Gordon looked up at the speaker. "Gordon Shumway, New Melmac."

"Harry Potter, Politely Fascinated," the young man returned, shaking Gordon's hand. "Keiko mentioned you're also called Alf?"

“Actually, that was Gus,” Keiko said.

"Right, should have remembered, wasn't feeling happily off kilter when I found out, just off kilter," Harry agreed, and smirked as she lightly smacked his shoulder.

Gordon laughed. "My American friends, and semi-adopted family, the Tanners, gave me that one.” He said. “Brian, the middle-- well, youngest at the time-- called me an elf, I think? I was pretty out of it when I crashed here. Wasn't exactly in the best of places mentally for a while, too. Later, Willie-- William Tanner, Brian's father-- explained ALF was an acronym for Alien Life Form. Since it means 'Welcome Traveller' in my native tongue, I didn't mind at all, and the name stuck."

"Your accent-- I'd assume you'd been American your whole life," Harry wondered, sitting nearby.

"Lucked out there," Gordon admitted. "The phonetics of our main language and English overlap a lot. We have a few ...'clicks' the brains call them and your nasals on Earth, no matter what we're speaking, sound weak to me... but my pod's survival protocols were able to start teaching me the language from media and such even while I recovered.”

Harry chuckled. “So, you learned English from TV?” He asked.

"Hey! Talk radio helped too!" Gordon said in mock protest.

Harry held his hands up, still chuckling. “Sorry, sorry,” he said in mock contrition. They heard a smack of flesh meeting flesh and turned back to see the spar. “Hmm, looks like… Akira?” He looked at Ranma, who nodded. “It looks like he overextended. Can’t really say why he did, but his leading foot seems just a hair too far forward. And now he’s flying… good tuck and roll there, though.”

“Good eye,” Ranma said with a note of approval in his voice.

Harry nodded, his eyes watching the match carefully. “Your sons are using their speed, but their blows lack the power to really do much against their opponent,” he said. “And they either don't or can't get the momentum to compensate.”

“Ryoga knows better than to let them,” Ranma said. “He and I were fierce rivals when we were young, and it was my speed that usually allowed me to win. Not that he couldn’t tank what I could dish out anyway, but I was also fast enough to not give him a chance to grapple me.”

“Not a lot of movement on Uncle Ryoga’s part here,” Keiko said. “Just enough to throw them off or to keep a vulnerable spot protected. Uncle Ko is doing better than Uncle Akira, though.”

"Ko listens to the crazy alien," Gordon said with a snort. He caught Harry's look. "Okay, look. The Saotome-Tendo style is a branch of Anything Goes. Now, I wasn't the best member of the Planetary Defense Force, but I was a soldier. And my... Drill Sergeant, that's the term... in Basic Training was big on tempering Melmac combat doctrine a bit. We were very much a 'do what works' force-- not above guerrilla warfare or hacking an enemy planet's broadcasts to prank the leaders so the people lost trust--"

"Oh, you have to tell him the Regoglin story," Keiko said excitedly.

"Later, kid.” Gordon said. “Anyway, so yeah, old Kosco told us-- anything goes. But you better make damn sure what goes is in your ability. Akira keeps falling back on imitating how his mom and dad do things. Ko adapts it, tries to fit it into what he's _able_ to do."

Ranma leaned closer to Harry. "And he's the _goofy_ uncle around here."

Harry shrugged. "I knew you were martial artists."

"I'm more arts and crafts," Gordon corrected, and as the group groaned, he chortled. "HA! I kill me!"

“Ah, puns,” Harry said. “Perhaps you are one who seeks to become a pungeon master? I know a pair of twin pranksters who would like you.”

**Hogwarts**

"Am I being overly Slytherin again--" Severus Snape began.

"No," his charms teaching colleague said. "I felt a chill, too."

"It gets worse," Pomona Sprout said. "Look."

They turned to the head of the table where Minerva McGonagall looked vaguely put out by the grin on Albus Dumbledore's face.

"... I’ll stock up the standard antidotes," Severus sighed.

"I should not need forensic charms deconstruction as often as I do on this job," Flitwick reflected, and Sprout made a small sad sigh of agreement to both.

**Back in Nerima**

“Hmm, I just felt a disturbance,” Harry mused. “As if someone is expecting something, but doesn’t know what and where.” He shrugged. “Ah well, it doesn’t seem to be focused on us.”

“So you felt it as well,” Keiko said. “And I thought our SA didn’t come to the real world.”

“SA?” Gordon asked.

“System Awareness,” Harry said. “Two years in SAO made it so that many of us became aware of SAO’s-- rhythms is the best way to put it. Well, those of us who went out and fought, especially those of us on the Assault Team got sensitive enough to SAO’s rhythms to be able to tell when something was about to happen. At most, it was an instant, but that was often enough.”

Ranma gave a thoughtful hum. “So you all became able to sense things in there?” He asked.

“To a point,” Keiko said. “Most of the time, it was just… there. We did live as digital life forms for two years. Made some places a nightmare to go through, though.”

“The Glitchzone,” Harry agreed. “That place just felt wrong on a fundamental level, and we didn’t even need to be inside it to tell.” He shook his head. “As I said, it didn’t seem directed our way, so I’m not worried. Won’t stop me from keeping an eye out, though.”

“As if your instincts don’t already go wild as they do now,” Ranma said looking the two of them over. “You both still need to put some mass on and finish your physical therapy, but once you’re recovered, I will be seeing to you two getting some training.”

Harry looked at Keiko, who nodded, and then sighed. “Will this be training, or will it be ‘sadistic bonding with your grandson-in-law’?” He asked.

“Yes.” Ranma said before looking at Keiko. “And Keiko, I would like to meet the others you fought alongside.”

“And _that_ ,” Harry said. “Is the feeling of impending doom going down my spine. Been awhile since I felt that.”

**Kawagoe, Mitsui Hospital**

Kazuto got off the elevator and made walked into the Hospital lobby when a chill went down his spine. Carefully looking around, he didn’t spot anything that could be the cause, unless that vending machine over there was about to sprout legs and start attacking people. Shrugging it off, walked out of the hospital and made his way to the bus stop.

He had another physical therapy appointment next week, and he wanted to make sure that he continued to show some progress. It might keep Nurse Aki from riding his ass about putting some proper meat on his bones.

Fortunately, he wouldn’t have to do another session with a counselor until he came back to the hospital for his physio. He was lucky enough to get both scheduled on the same day, if several hours apart. Easier to get all the suck over with.

His stomach growled and he considered whether he should go to the FamilyMart on the corner and pick up a snack or not.

**Setagaya, Yuuki Residence**

Asuna looked around for whatever made her sense danger before going back to her tablet and finishing up the assignments that her mother had set for the next couple of weeks. She was making good progress and wanted to get as ahead in her work as she felt reasonable so she could free up some time to do other things.

With Strea and Yui in ALO, as well as Harry and Keiko having already gone in, it was almost time for the Steel Phoenix to take wing once more. Her mother might not approve, but so long as she kept up with her studies to make some inroads to catching up, she shouldn’t have much to say.

Well, outside of voicing her opinions of not seeing the point of it.

**Alfheim, Swilvane**

Lux stumbled as it felt as if her SA was going wild, warning of impending danger before parrying the attack that was headed her way. Harry had warned them all that taking their SAO names would result in some attention, and now she was having to demonstrate that yes, she was _that_ Lux.

Perhaps she should have waited for Harry to be online. Especially as she could have then warned him that she was planning on playing as a Sylph, and had him back her up. Fortunately, there was this one Sylph, Leafa, who was watching and ensuring that no one tried anything outside of the bounds of the matches she was fighting.

She sighed as she sent her current opponent out of the ring, and another one stepped in almost eagerly. She had spent the last twenty minutes doing this, and it was beginning to get bothersome.

“That’s my daughter!” She heard a voice call cheerfully from the crowd and shook her head with a wry smile. Her mother, who took the name Shirin, was willing to try ALO with her, even though she admitted that she wasn’t precisely inclined to play it regularly. But seeing her reaction to her first sight of it all… oh yes, that was worth it right there.

Now if these idiots with more balls than brains would just let off for a bit. She wanted to explore the city and perhaps spend some time with her mother, if only to see her reactions to all the sights.

**Chiyoda, Karatachi Residence**

Nijika shuddered before shaking the feeling off. Being outside of SAO was nice, but her instincts would trip for the oddest reasons, of no reason at all. Still, better to make sure no one was peeping on the apartment, again, later.

“ _Sestra?_ ” Nanairo asked.

“It’s nothing,” she replied. “Just my instincts tripping again for some reason. Better than how it was when I got out of the hospital, though. Anyway, you want to see the virtual world?”

Nanairo nodded. “I’ll roll a character of the same race here, though I will probably re-roll when I head back to the States. But this can at least give me some time to get used to it all.”

“And the fact that you get to see your sister being awesome has nothing to do with it, I’m sure.” Nijika drawled.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Just be ready for me to be kept busy for a bit,” Nijika said. “Harry’s told me about how he had to straighten out some Sylphs, just to prove that he was exactly who he was.” She smirked. “I’m looking forward to… correcting some assumptions that may crop up.”

**December 28, 2024 - Unplottable Location, Shiba Compound**

Kaoru watched as Albus Dumbledore and his two guests let go of Fawkes’ tail feathers after the phoenix flamed in. It had taken a bit of time to coordinate the arrival, as this was a personal visit, rather than the official one that Albus’ previous visit had been. She looked at the two youths who had accompanied the Hogwarts Headmaster.

The girl, Hermione Granger, was very much like she had been when Kaoru had visited Hogwarts to report Harry Potter’s slaying of Voldemort. She was looking around at her surroundings, eyes brimming with curiosity, and probable questions.

The boy, Ronald Weasley, was also looking around, but in awe. “Blimey, that was new,” he said. “I mean, I’ve been carried by a phoenix before, but we’re now somewhere else?”

“You are correct, Mister Weasley,” Kaoru said in English, startling the two youths. “Please, allow me to welcome you to Japan.” She bowed to them and saw copy her, while Ron had to be chivvied into doing so. Kaoru gave a small smile at that. If Miss Granger was worried about him giving offense, she didn’t need to.

“Lady Shiba,” Albus said, bowing. “It is a pleasure to see you today. Is Harry here, or on his way?”

Kaoru nodded. “He is en route right now,” she said. “He was just disembarking from the Ginza line ten minutes ago, so he should be here shortly. Just to inform you, he will be accompanied by Miss Ayano, as we didn’t inform him of this visit, and he was in Nerima when Kotoha informed him that his presence here would be appreciated.” She gave a wry shake of her head. “Miss Ayano was quite insistent, apparently, in accompanying him.”

Hermione and Ron nodded, accepting the explanation.

“Well, we get to meet one of his friends in person, right?” Ron asked.

“I think… wasn’t she called Silica in there?” Hermione asked.

“That is correct,” Kaoru replied. She was about to speak further when she heard several voices.

##

“Miss Hanaori, why is my presence requested here all of a sudden?” Harry asked as they walked through the gates to the compound. He and Keiko were walking around Nerima, being escorted by her mother… and others. He spotted several women who he was sure were Amazons, which Keiko confirmed. Whether they were there to be his minders, or Keiko’s was something he didn’t ask.

“You will see in a moment, Mister Potter,” Kotoha said. “And you’re at least better about this than you dog-, I mean, godfather.”

Harry snorted. “No, you meant dogfather Miss Hanaori,” he said. “And to be quite honest, I think Sirius needs to be sent back to obedience school anyway.”

“So that would explain the collar and the leash you gave me on Christmas,” Kotoha murmured in amusement.

“Harry, you know he will get you back for that,” Keiko said with a giggle.

“Already saw him browsing through screenshots of the recorded footage,” Harry said. “How much do you want to bet that he’s going to plaster some of the more embarrassing ones around the apartment building and neighborhood?”

“Like that one time we had you and Kirito dolled up?” Keiko asked.

“Probably,” Harry replied easily and then stopped as they entered the courtyard. “No way…” He said.

“Harry?” Keiko asked.

“Ron… Hermione?”

##

Hermione looked at Harry and barely restrained herself from rushing over to him. She could see him, and with how painfully thin he still looked, she might do more harm than good if she did. “Harry…” She whispered, taking a step forward.

“ _Harī-kun wa dare desu ka?_ ” The girl with him asked.

“What?” Ron asked, confused.

Hermione looked at him. “She was asking who we are, Ron,” she said and then turned back to the pair. “ _Gomenasai,_ ” she said in halting Japanese. “Umm… _Watashitachiha Harī no tomodachi desu._ I hope I got that right.” She muttered to herself

Harry chuckled. “Hermione, she understands English just fine,” he said in English.

“Can speak a little of it, too,” the girl said. “So, you’re Harry’s friends from England?” She looked them over. “I’m Keiko Ayano. Harry spoke of you in SAO.” She then gave them a small bow.

“Hermione, Ron, how did you get here?” Harry asked and then got a suspicious look on his face. “Wait a tick…” He turned to the clearly amused woman with him. “Miss Hanaori, this is why I was asked to come here?”

##

“So, you two didn’t even know about this until Dumbledore had you grab onto Fawkes?” Harry asked as they sat in the courtyard.

Ron nodded, looking at his friend. “Yeah mate, I think he wanted to surprise both us and you,” he said. “And bloody hell, if mum saw you like this, she’d go spare.”

“I can imagine,” Harry said with a laugh. “Should have seen me three weeks ago.” He heard Keiko giggle at that. “You didn’t look that much better off, dear.” He said to her.

Keiko stuck her tongue out at him. “Better than you did,” she said in English.

“Of course,” Harry agreed, chuckling.

Ron narrowed his eyes a bit as he looked at his friend. This wasn’t one of Harry’s false reassurances, but he could tell that there was something there. And Hermione probably...

“Harry, are you okay?” Hermione asked.

“As okay as I can be, Hermione,” Harry replied and looked out across the courtyard. “None of us were really surprised at how we were when we got out. We all looked like we just got out of a famine and that was just Keiko and I. We were some of the better off ones in the hospital.”

“That’s not what I meant, Harry,” Hermione said.

Harry gave her a sad smile. “Yeah, I know.” He said. “But… what am I supposed to say? Professor Dumbledore already brought up that you, at least, have watched recordings that were taken through my Nerve Gear.” He looked at Ron.

“I would come in and out every now and then,” Ron said. “But watching and… analyzing it all, well, that’s not my strong suit. I did watch a number of the battles against the bigger monsters you fought. But most of it, I was coming in to see for myself that you were at least still doing all right.”

“With that project, I wasn’t really helping him with homework,” Hermione said. “So he had to do it all himself. And… with you gone, we kind of grew a bit more distant.”

Harry nodded. “I see.” There was a note of sadness in his voice. “I wish I could say I was surprised.”

“Harry James Potter, don’t you _dare_ blame yourself for this,” Hermione said fiercely.

Harry blinked. “Blame myself?” He asked and then gave Hermione a sharp look. “Hermione, I’m not blaming myself for you two getting distant. I do remember that I had to run interference between you two to keep you both from arguing often enough to know that it was your friendships with me, that allowed you to tolerate each other.”

Ron winced at Harry’s comment. It was true, but the fact that his friend recognized his role in keeping him and Hermione from being at each other’s throats…

It stung a little. It was true, but it still stung.

“So mate, how have things been since you got out,” Ron said, trying to change the subject.

“Good enough,” Harry said. “I can’t really put it into words. I mean, whenever we’re out, we watch _everything_ , my instincts keep telling me to draw my sword, and…” He closed his eyes. “Just because we left SAO, doesn’t mean that SAO has left us.”

“You should see it when all of us are together,” Keiko said quietly. “We automatically get into a party formation, watching all angles. When one of us is looking at something, window shopping, or making a purchase…”

“And the crowds don’t help,” Harry said. “But we can’t just stay inside and shut ourselves off from the world.” He sighhed. “It’s getting easier to not fall into those habits, but Sirius said that they’ll be there for awhile. And... ”

“What do you mean?” Hermione asked.

“Hermione, you know what shell-shock is, right?” Harry asked, to Ron’s confusion. However, with Hermione’s nod, it was clear that Harry decided to continue.

“Outside of physical therapy, every survivor of SAO is undergoing psychological counseling,” Harry said. “For some, it’s more to just make sure that we came out well-adjusted. But for others, especially those of us who were actively involved in clearing the game, as well as some other incidents, the counselors are also checking for that… and other things.”

“Other things?” Ron asked.

“Ron, how much in the way of major events in SAO did you see?” Harry asked back.

“Well, there was your wedding,” Ron said. “And bloody hell, that was _awesome_ to watch. Oh, and when you fought and killed You Know Who.”  
  
“Umm, I don’t know who,” Keiko said.

“He’s talking about New Year’s, dear,” Harry said absently. “And is everyone _still_ referring to him like that? Bloody… He’s _dead_ , damn it. Ron, just call him Tom then, that was his actual name.”

“You know, Ginny does that,” Hermione said. “She calls him Tom, and… well, she watched that recording. She was the youngest of us who did, and we had students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang there due to the Triwizard Tournament who also witnessed it.”

“Wait, tournament?” Harry asked.

Hermione nodded. “It was resurrected for some reason, and one of its main organizers was… lacking in many ways,” Hermione said carefully.

“Lacking?” Ron asked incredulously. “Bagman couldn’t organize a piss up in a brewery, Hermione. And Harry, someone tried to use it to basically force you to compete and possibly get killed. Didn’t work, though.”

“So that’s why your scar hurt last year,” Keiko said.  
  


Harry smiled coldly at that. “And it’s good to get confirmation that it was because things weren’t going his way,” he said with some satisfaction. “Just wasn’t his year, was it? His plans failed, and he ended up losing a pointed argument with me.”

“You were rather sharp with him,” Keiko said.

Harry nodded. “Anyway, your sister watched it?”

Ron nodded. “Yeah mate, she did,” he said. “And… I don’t quite know how bad it was for her after the whole Chamber of Secrets thing, but I know she had nightmares for a while. And after watching you kill that wanker, she seemed… relieved, I guess.”

Harry nodded. “That’s good,” he said. “That son of a bitch did a lot to her. If anyone besides me should be glad he’s dead, it’s her.”

“Harry,” Hermione said. “ _Language._ ”

Ron snorted. “Bloody hell mate, she’s usually doing that to me.”

“Ron, _language_ ,” Hermione immediately said.

Ron and Harry both started laughing, with Hermione following shortly after. Keiko sat back and watched it with a small smile on her face.

##

Albus smiled as he watched Harry begin the process of reconnecting with his friends, even if he wasn’t going to be returning to England in the near future. It would help keep him grounded, though he had no doubt that Miss Ayano would help in that regard.

He wasn’t foolish enough to believe that just this one meeting would be enough. It had been two years, and Harry’s experiences had changed him in ways that Miss Granger and Mister Weasley would have a hard time understanding. They would know on an intellectual level, Miss Granger especially, but they didn’t have the same experiences and perspectives. They had been observers to the experiences that Harry had lived.

And while it seemed as if there would be no problem with Harry reconnecting with his friends on the surface, all Albus had to do was remember how his experiences had changed him after he and Gellert fell out, or after he returned from Europe when he had confronted and killed his former friend.

##

“Oh you should have seen it,” Keiko said, chortling. “Asuna and I had persuaded Ashley to prepare some dresses and we then conned Harry and Kirito into closing their eyes long enough for us to dress them up. Their reactions to what we did were priceless.”

“No dear, _Kirito’s_ reaction was priceless,” Harry said. “I saw that coming and simply ran with it. And remember how I reacted to Rain’s idea of us going out like that?” He then straightened and got a haughty air. “Unacceptable, a proper lady should not go about in public unescorted or unchaperoned. Miss Ashley, if you could ensure that Sir Silica and Sir Asuna are properly attired? And while you are at it, please find something suitable for Miss Rain and Miss Lux, so that they may act as chaperones.”

Both Hermione and Ron laughed.

“It didn’t quite go exactly like that, but that’s what he did, and both Asuna and I ended up modelling in “proper” clothing for the occasion,” Keiko said. “Not that Harry was complaining, and he was probably very appreciative of the poofy skirt he was wearing at the time.”

Harry shrugged. “What can I say?” He asked. “What you wore left nothing to the imagination. Anyway, after that, Kirito and I got back into proper clothing and left the girls to their shopping while we went to a tavern and drank away our sorrows.”

“Please tell me you have pictures,” Hermione said.

Harry pulled his cell phone out and made a show of checking it. “Sorry, but I don’t,” he said. “Keiko?”

Keiko had her phone out and was flipping through the photos stored on it before shaking her head. “If I had known we were going to meet some of your friends from England, I would have made sure to have some of the more memorable ones on it.”

Harry snorted. “I can imagine,” he said and then looked at Hermione. “So, you were a part of a project watching recordings of me being myself inside SAO?”

Hermione nodded. “Yes, I was,” she said. “Not just me, but members from all the other houses, including the Slytherins.”

Harry raised an eyebrow. “Slytherins?” He asked. “They were working with a muggleborn Gryffindor? Now that is something I didn’t expect to hear about.”

Hermione smirked. “The Headmaster did rather politely say that it would be appreciated if I did,” she said. “And some of their insights were very useful and it gave me a perspective on how the more traditionally aligned wizards saw things.”

“And what did they think?” Harry asked.

Hermione frowned. “I could tell that more than a few found it interesting,” she said. “But whether they will influence their parents into looking into adopting more modern technologies… I can’t really say. There are a lot of things that would need to be done, and those things take time.”

Harry nodded and looked at Keiko. “Well, it’s not like I can do much about it right now,” he said. “I don’t… I’ll be staying in Japan for awhile.”

“What?” Ron asked in surprise. “Why?”

Harry looked at his friends. “I’m too well known outside the magical world,” he said. “That means that I can’t simply fade back into it.” He sighed. “They’re going to want records of where I am and what I’m doing. Arrangements have already been made for my schooling.” He reached out and took Keiko’s hand in his. “But, let’s get away from that, how long are you two going to be here? Even if you can only be here for the day, there’s still plenty that can be shown to you.”

“Umm, what about visas?” Hermione asked. “My parents sent me my passport by mail, and I could have brought it with me had I known, but…”

Harry looked to see Lord Takeru walking into the courtyard with Dumbledore right next to him. Seeing the current head of the Shiba Clan shooting the older wizard exasperated looks, he had an idea that the issue was being taken care of. Hell, even if they couldn’t leave the compound, he could still spend a bit of time with them, and maybe introduce them to Gus, if he was up to it.

**December 29,2024 - Unplottable Location, Malfoy Manor**

Lucius growled as he read the report that one of his many informants on the seedier side of things. "He bought an 'untraceable' second wand?"

"Who was that stupid?"

Lucius turned and smiled sweetly. "Was I ranting loudly again, dear?"

"No, I was checking in on you. Who would invest money in something so silly as that?" Narcissa asked, coming up behind him and giving his shoulders a squeeze.

"Nott. And the problem is entirely what you think 'untraceable' means," Lucius reflected. "I mean, yes, you drop and snap, they can't link it to you. But I'm betting the fool thinks it means magic done with it can't be detected."

"Theodore Nott... Senior?" Narcissa asked carefully.

Lucius sat up straighter. "My flower, what have you heard?"

"Draco's last letter before he came home. Apparently Theo the younger mentioned a sudden business trip by his father to Asia."

"The absolute _cunt_ ," Lucius spat, then winced. "Sorry, darling--"

"I'm inclined to agree," his darling wife said, thought the firmer grip on his shoulders said not to let it be a habit. "So... subtle tip to the Department of International Cooperation?"

"Oh, I think we can afford to be direct on this one," Lucius said, standing. "Fetch me my flooing cushion!


	4. Squabbles and Competitions

**December 29, 2024 - Nerima, Alleyway**

Theodore Nott had come into the alleyway to renew the various stealth charms on himself. A disillusionment charm was effective, but in the kind of crowds he was routinely having to navigate, he was more likely to bump into someone and break the charm. Instead, he had to use numerous subtle charms to get all these muggles to not notice him, not pay attention to him, and make sure he didn’t do anything to call attention to himself.

Muggles may be trash, but there were a lot of them. And unlike many others of the Pure Blood, Old Ways traditionalists, he wasn’t going to make the mistake and assume that they were harmless. Clearly inferior to even the lowest wizard, but not harmless.

After the Dark Lord’s demise at Potter’s hands, he had been adrift and without direction. It had been easy, follow the Dark Lord’s wishes and direction, and be rewarded in due time. But, somehow, that damned Potter boy had not only survived being attacked directly by the Dark Lord at the start of the year, no small feat in and of itself, but the brat had done the unforgivable and unthinkable, killing a great and superior wizard.

It was impossible, but it had happened, and a traitorous part of him was reassured that the Dark Lord was dead, if only for his son’s sake. He, at least could be spared the sins of his father and going too far down that path to turn back. _Stop worrying about that,_ he thought to himself. _Regardless of the fact that he defeated the Dark Lord, he is still vulnerable, still a weak little boy._

He finished his casting and made his way back onto the streets. It had taken him hours to make his way to this area of this huge muggle city after arriving in Japan, and now he had to find Potter. And then, he would show the boy that he wasn’t as great as everyone was claiming him to be.

Now where was that boy? He had to be somewhere nearby.

##

“”Harry,” Keiko said. “Is it me, or does that one guy seem out of place?”

“Where?” Harry asked. When Keiko pointed near an alley, Harry followed the direction of her finger and his eyes narrowed. He could almost see someone, but he couldn’t focus on the person. He pulled his cell phone out and snapped a picture. Looking at it, it was still blurry, but he could make out some more definition, and he could see… “Shit.” He said.

“Trouble?” Keiko asked.

Harry nodded and saw a shop to the side. “Yeah,” he said. “See that shop to the side?”

“You mean that lingerie shop?” Keiko asked.

“That’s what… I mean, yeah, that one,” Harry said, knowing full well that he was going to get teased about this later. “Let’s put on an act of you dragging your poor and suffering boyfriend, that being me, into there so you can browse. I‘m going to send a text to some people. I think Mister Ikegami is supposed to be my minder right now.”

“Should I make a show of modeling some of it for you?” Keiko asked with a smirk.

“Maybe later,” Harry said. “When we’ve gained enough weight back to not look like we’re still recovering from a famine.”

“You just want me to get the curves back,” Keiko surmised.

“And that’s bad… how?”

Keiko snorted and grabbed his hand. “Come on Harry.” She said, pitching her voice to carry. “I saw this super cute piece and I want your opinion on it.”

Harry made a show of sighing, not taking his attention off of the person he saw, so he noticed the blurry figure perk up when his name was called. “Of course, dear.” He said, giving the air of a long suffering boyfriend. He made sure to type in the number that was for whomever was his minder, and sent a text with the picture attached to it. Once that was done, he allowed himself to be dragged into the lingerie store.

He didn’t know who it was, but whomever it was had a naked wand out, and he wasn’t going to play into their game. Besides, his minders probably needed something to do aside from watching him, and this should keep at least one of them entertained for a few minutes.

##

Perfect! The boy had been so close and was now being dragged into a store by that muggle strumpet he had the gall to marry in that illusory world. And from what he had overheard, he seemed to _still_ consider things to be that way. _Foolish boy,_ he thought with a sneer. _And you are going into a place where you cannot run._

“Excuse me, sir,” a voice said. “Do you need some directions?”

Nott turned to see a local man looking at him with what seemed to be concern and mentally cursed. The spells he used for stealth should have meant that he was not interrupted, but it seemed as if this muggle was more perceptive than most. Still, it was easy enough to deal with and not make a scene.

He made to bring the wand he was using up, only to have the man grab his wrist in an iron grip, and have a knife to his throat before he knew what was happening.

“You really shouldn’t have done that Wizard-san,” the man said in lightly accented English. “We’ve been tracking your use of magic since you’ve arrived in the ward. We know who all the magic users are, and what their magic feels like, so you stand out worse than a _kuroka_ wearing a costume that had been bleached white to me." The man smiled. "Ah, but where are my manners. I am Ryunosuke Ikegami, retainer for the Shiba Clan, and from the way you were possibly scanning the crowds, I dare say, are you here for a Mister Harry Potter?”

Nott tried not to gulp, as he started to feel a cold sweat begin to form on his brow. _How?_ He thought.

“I am afraid that you are going to be delayed in your planned meeting, Wizard-san,” Ryunosuke said sadly. “Now, if you will come with me?”

Mindful of the knife at his throat, Theodore nodded slowly and he felt something placed on him. What it was, he did not know, but as the knife was withdrawn, he tried to apparate, only for nothing to happen. _What?_ He thought in shock as the man gave him a cold smile.

“There is more to magic than using a wand, Wizard-san,” Ryunosuke said as he gripped Nott and pulled him deeper into the alleyway. Nott wondered why he suddenly felt as if a wave had hit him and he was being swept up in the current.

**Alfheim, Swilvane**

“Strea, this is a very bad idea,” Yui said.

“Why?” Strea asked. “We went through the proper channels, got permission, and it’s not like we’re heading into Gaddan.”

“And that permission is only worth so much,” Yui protested. “No every Sylph respects Lady Sakuya’s orders. We’re vulnerable here!”

“And you’re making a scene, Yui,” Strea said. “So long as we don’t cause trouble, we shouldn’t have any problems. Besides, both Harry and Lux are online and in here, so all we have to do is find them and they can back us up.”

Yui sighed. It was them possibly having to back her and Strea up that was the problem. If they did, it might get them declared renegades and no longer welcome in Swilvane. For someone not a member of a faction, entering that faction’s territory, let alone its capital, was a calculated risk. If they got killed, then it was them taking a risk they shouldn’t have. But for a player to be declared a renegade from their own faction…

She didn’t want that for any member of Steel Phoenix. She and Strea had made sure that they would be based in Arun, even if their character died, avoiding that. And the Spriggans could care less if a player went out on his or her own, so long as they didn’t do anything to harm the faction. She had been told that by Lord Farren, who liked to greet new players when he was online and they chose to play as one. Otherwise it was someone who was always in the city, usually Lady Kuro, who would do so.

It was odd meeting a Spriggan who looked very much like a female Kirito. She was a bit standoffish on the surface, but friendly enough, and was more than willing to teach Yui a few tricks during those first few days, allowing her to familiarize herself with the differences between ALO and SAO.

The information on the Sylph faction indicated that a player of that race was highly encouraged to seek permission from the faction leader first before striking out on his or her own. And while Lady Sakuya was definitely more willing to give it, the previous faction leader was not. And from what she had heard about the current head of the Sylph Army, Sigurd, Yui was fairly sure that he was of the same mold.

If not worse.

She was about to inform Strea of her opinions on the matter again when she heard someone calling out for everyone on ground level to look out. She looked up in time to see a Sylph flying out of control and heading right toward her and her fellow AI. She prepared to leap or fly to the side, tracking the Sylph’s direction and calculating likeliest point of impact when the voice registered.

Well, it looked like Harry was about to be inducted into the Dirt Dart Club. And he was headed right toward…

There was a crash as he slammed into Strea, and the two of them got sent into a wall. Yui winced at the sound of the crash and looked around to see curious Sylphs coming to see what the commotion was.

“Harry, are you okay?” Lux’s voice called. Yui turned to see a pair of Sylphs running over and Yui waved them down.

“He should be fine, he just crashed into Strea!” She called to the pair.

**Customs Processing Room S36**

"You.... I'm a British Wizard. You can't touch me, the British Wizarding government--"

The woman from the Ministry of Shugenja, Mami Kanzaki interrupted Nott firmly and with not a little amusement. "Called us to warn us about you. Apparently, your travel preparations caught entirely the wrong sort of attention, Mr. Nott."

Theodore's eyes narrowed. "Who?"

"We weren't told," Mami said honestly. "And it doesn’t matter to us. Not that you're going to see British soil for a while, not after Mr. Ikegami arrested you."

Theo's "What?" was so flat and shocked it drew a chuckle.

"Mr. Nott. When Warlock Dumbledore comes to visit Mr. Potter, he calls ahead to gain clearance-- as Japan and Magical Britain are both ICW members, it's expected as at least a sign of respect above and beyond the law. When Mr. Greengrass-- I understand he's a contemporary of yours? -- when he visits the exporters he's partnered with here for his potions supply business, he arrives at one of the International Apparition and Portkey Arrival points, gets his passport stamped, goes through customs... there are hoops one must go through to satisfy a sovereign nation you are visiting for good reason. Even I, a lifelong civil employee, had certain requirements to meet to adopt my eldest Meg... a war orphan stranded here by the death of her parents during Tom Riddle's first rise."

Nott broke out in a sweat at the gaze and nasty smile she gave him then. "And... Britain told you I was coming..."

"And has apologized for the inconvenience of not catching you before you left," Kanzaki said coolly. "They are eagerly awaiting the results of our... thorough investigation."

Nott swallowed. How, Theo wondered to himself, had that smile gotten nastier?

##

**Alfheim, Swilvane**

Harry groaned as he picked himself up from the ground, only to bang his head against a breastplate, getting a grunt from its wearer. “Ow,” he complained, rubbing where he banged his head and then turned to the owner of it. It didn’t hurt much, certainly far less than what he would have felt if it had been in SAO, but he wondered if the pain settings were still a little off, if whatever was keeping the pain down was simply overloaded, or perhaps allowing for a bit of minor pain in cases like this, a reminder to not be stupid and reckless.

Well, whatever the reason for why he actually felt some pain was, it did serve as a reminder for him to take things a bit more cautiously, rather than trust in his skills as a flier on a broomstick translating here. He had lost control when his attention got diverted, reminding him of some of his earlier accidents when practicing Quidditch under Oliver Wood so that he would be able to multitask while playing. _Huh, he should have graduated by now,_ he thought. _I wonder if he managed to make a professional team. And I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I might take some of those training routines and use them while practicing flight. Huh, Fairy Quidditch, now that’s an idea._ He shook that idle thought out of his head, though he would see about refreshing the rules in his mind at some point. It had some potential.

“Sorry about that.” He said to the one he crashed into. “I’m still getting used to the flying.”

“New to it?” The owner asked, amused. “Try taking it slowly at first until you get used to it, speed comes later. And I am going to enjoy saying this to you, but don’t be reckless, Harry.”

Harry knew that voice. “Yeah, I can see you enjoying that, Strea.” He said. “How many times have I told you that?”

“You want an exact number, or is that a rhetorical question?” Strea asked. “Because if it’s the latter, I can give you a rhetorical answer.”

Harry shook his head as the two of them looked around at the curious onlookers. “She’s with me,” Harry said to them. “At least, _now_ she’s with me.” He looked the Gnome up and down. “It fits you, playing a Gnome. You were the closest thing we had to a bloody tank in the entire guild.”

“And what does that make you?” Strea asked.

“Someone who could try to be one, but you know why I would have made a poor tank,” Harry replied. “And trying that with me as a Sylph? I’m not even renting that one.”

Strea laughed and then opened her menu. Selecting an item from her inventory, she materialized a couple of potions and handed one to Harry. She pulled the stopper out of hers and quickly drank it down. She could use healing magic, but she felt that using it was a waste of MP when that neither of them were that damaged. Besides, the healing potions weren’t that inferior to SAO’s, so why waste the MP?

“Thanks Strea,” Harry said. “So, what brings you to Swilvane?”

Strea shrugged. “Eh, wanted to visit, really,” she said. “And Yui and I made sure to go through the proper channels to get permission to visit.”

“So Yui’s here as well?”

Strea nodded and looked around for a moment. “Yeah, she’s right… Harry, it looks like we might have some trouble.” She pointed to where a crowd of Sylphs were gathering around some players. “That’s where Yui should be.”

Harry looked at the crowd and narrowed his eyes. “And Sigurd’s there,” he said. “I don’t like him all that much, he reminds me too much of Lind. And not in a good way. Still, I better head this off, though I might end up pouring petrol onto the flames. Well, if Lady Sakuya takes issue with it, I’ll take responsibility for my part in it, but first....” he opened his menu and brought up the message function. Rapidly typing in a message, he sent it and then rested his hand on the pommel of his sword and then began to walk toward the budding altercation.

Strea followed and made her way to Yui. Harry was glad that she wasn’t following to back him up. Better to not add to the budding problem more than his presence and potential actions would.

##

Sigurd sneered at the small Spriggan and her two Sylph companions. He didn’t know who the little girl playing a Spriggan was, but that didn’t matter to him. She was not a Sylph and was not welcome in Swilvane in his eyes. However, there was a crowd gathering, so he couldn’t deal with her as he wished to.

But the two Sylphs with her, he could handle the matter of them. Even if he couldn’t banish them from the territory, he could threaten to use his position to persuade Lady Sakuya into doing it for him. It was a hollow threat, but it usually did the trick with reigning in Sylphs who didn’t know otherwise.

Especially since the one, Lux, seemed to know the Spriggan. He could use that to bring her to heel quite nicely, as he had heard of her humiliating several in the sparring ring recently. Another new player, with the apparent skills of a veteran? What was she, an SAO Survivor? Ridiculous!

No SAO Survivor would be willing to enter virtual reality again, not after having been forced to spend two years in SAO.

But her name… there was something familiar about it.

“Can one of you explain why you are in the… presence… of this Spriggan?” He asked coolly.

Lux stepped forward and gave him a neutral look. “I know her from SAO,” she said calmly. “We were in the same guild, and she is with one who was also a comrade in arms there.”

Sigurd blinked. _She claims to be an SAO Survivor?_ He thought. “And what would an SAO Survivor be doing here?” He asked with a scoff. “I would think that after two years none of them would be so inclined to enter the virtual world again.” He sneered. “Wouldn’t want to risk getting trapped in another VR game, now, would one?”

He saw the one called Lux stiffen and then glare at him.

“ _Excuse me_?” The other asked. “Just _what_ are you implying?”

“Just merely stating a fact,” Sigurd said smoothly. “Why would an SAO Survivor come here to ALO?”

“Perhaps I wanted to show my mother the good side of VR,” Lux said quietly. “SAO, for all that happened there, did have its good moments. So please, take that so-called fact, fold it into sharp corners, shove it up your ass, and spin.”

Sigurd sharply turned his attention back to her. “What did you say?!” He asked angrily.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize that you were one of those who has to deal with FNC,” Lux said. “You know, Fulldive Non-Conformity? I hear it’s a bit of a bother to deal with.” She turned to the other Sylph. “Mom, stand back please, and take Yui as well.” She turned her attention back to Sigurd. “It seems I have to teach someone some manners.”

“I will teach you to respect your betters,” Sigurd growled, drawing his sword.

“I do respect my betters,” Lux replied smoothly, resting her left hand on the pommel of her sword. “You just haven’t proven that you’re one of them. So why don’t we debate this matter?” She smiled coldly. “I’ve been told that my arguments can be rather… disarming.”

A laugh barked out, catching the attention of both. “I’ll say,” Hadrian said, walking up. “You can be rather cutting in your rebuttals, just ask XaXa.” He gave Sigurd a chilly look. “And what brings you here, Sigurd?” He asked. “Run out of things to do and people to harass?”

“Hadrian,” Sigurd said coolly. “I had heard that you were online. Something about accidentally crashing into a visitor when practicing your flying, if I recall.”

The younger player shrugged. “She was rather cool with it,” he said. “And is finding it amusing that she can tell me to not be reckless for a change.”

“Considering how many times you told her that in SAO, I can see Strea doing that,” Lux said. “But you got quite friendly with Strea and that wall. What would your wife think?”

Hadrian snorted. “She would be taking pictures with an image crystal and rolling in the middle of the street, laughing.” He said. “Then again, she told me of her own inductions into the Dirt Dart Club down in Freelia. Then again, if I rolled a Cait Sith, I would be practicing there and smelling like a wet cat.”

“And maybe finally learning how to swim,” Lux said.

“It’s on my to-do list, after my therapy, and the sadistic bonding with my grandfather-in-law,” Hadrian said with a shrug.

Sigurd ground his teeth as the pair seemed to ignore him and get on with their conversation as if they forgot his presence. He cleared his throat, loudly to get their attention. The fact that both gave him bored looks in response… he glared at them through his drawn sword.

“Oh my, he’s got a drawn sword out,” Lux said dully. “Harry, what shall we do?”

“Make sure he doesn’t hurt himself, I guess,” Hadrian said and then looked at Sigurd. “Now Sigurd, I know that life can pile on the burdens, but suicide is not the answer. If you need someone to talk to, I know of a good counselor at Nakano General Hospital.”

Sigurd seethed. “You... you two are mocking me,” he growled out. “How _dare_ you two mock me like that.”

“Well then, how would you like us to mock you?” Hadrian asked.

“I’m sure we can take requests,” Lux added.

##

Shirin watched the altercation wondering what was going on with her daughter. Hiyori, no Lux, was being a completely different person here. She could understand that her daughter had changed, but now she was seeing the self-confident young woman, one who didn’t take anything.

“Well, this is unusual,” the young Spriggan said. “That one managed to get on her nerves, if she’s playing along with Harry and adding to the provocations.”

“Not that it’s taking much,” the Gnome, Strea said. “He’s getting riled up way too easily.”

“You two are being far too calm about this,” Shirin said.

“We watched them for some time before we joined up with Steel Phoenix,” Strea said absently. “It’s a long story, and one I’m not sure we can tell.” She said when Shirin gave her a curious look. “What surprises me is that Harry was already ready to start a fight with him. He’s usually more polite than this, even if he doesn’t like someone, so for this guy to have Harry drop the politeness from the start… what did he do to cause that?”

“He accused Hadrian of cheating in the sparring ring,” A new voice said. “Since he came in using the same name he did in SAO, he did violate an unspoken rule about using such names. That Hadrian is an SAO survivor, and can back up what having that name implies just means that Sigurd can’t use his authority to cow him into compliance with what _he_ sees as the rules for Sylphs. And now I see why he sent me that message.”

"And few things grate on Hadrian the Just like an authority figure overreaching his grasp," Strea muttered.

Shirin turned to the new arrival. “Oh, Leafa,” she said. “You were the one who supervised my daughter’s matches in the sparring ring.”

Leafa smirked at Strea. "I don't recall that being one of Hadrian’s known nicknames."

“I may be being a bit facetious in calling Harry ‘Hadrian the Just’,” Strea allowed. “Though you should have seen the looks on his face when someone called him that.” She added with a snicker. “Like he just swallowed something unpleasant. Or Pina managed to clear the plate of his dinner when he wasn’t looking.”

“I’ve been wondering, why do you call him Harry?” Shirin asked. “Isn’t that his real name?”

“I remember Silica saying that it was because he said people could address him as that from the first day of SAO,” Yui said. “No one knew it was his real name at the time, and he openly admitted that he didn’t care when that information did get out. He and Silica did get married under their real names, after all.”

"Even if it was just in the game?" Shirin wondered.

"Try telling them that," Strea countered, and gave a grunt as Yui swatted her on the hip with the haft of her spear.

“They do still treat each other like they’re married in the real world,” Leafa noted. “And I think that their families have agreed to list it as an engagement, or at least that’s what they say.” She shook her head. “I don’t know why, they’re only fifteen.”

“That would be a bit young, I agree,” Shirin concurred and then looked at the steadily escalating conflict. “And I think someone should step in before they start fighting in the streets.”

Leafa sighed. “Might as well break this up, or at least get them to the sparring rings,” she said as she walked toward the group.

##

Sakuya opened the message and sighed as she read the contents before looking at her guests. “My apologies, Alicia, Silica, but it seems as if I have to keep an eye on a dispute between some of my own,” she said. “It seems that Sigurd has managed to provoke a couple of SAO survivors when he decided to be...

“Sigurd?” Alicia asked.

“A complete ass, yes,” Sakuya agreed. “A Gnome and Spriggan by the names of Strea and Yui respectively decided to pay a visit, and they did go through the proper channels to get permission to visit. But it seems as if Sigurd was making a scene.”

“Who did he manage to set off?” Alicia asked. “Most of your Sylphs at least respect his position, regardless of what they think of him.”

“As I said, two SAO survivors,” Sakuya replied. “Your companion almost certainly knows them.” She said, indicating Silica with a nod.

“My Lady, pardon my language, but what did the idiot do to piss my husband off?” Silica asked with a sigh as she placed her feathered dragon in her lap.

“The message didn’t say,” Sakuya admitted. “But Sigurd didn’t make a positive impression on Hadrian at any rate.”

“And who is the other one?” Silica asked curiously.

“Lux,” Sakuya replied.

Silica blinked. “Lux?” She asked with a note of shock in her voice. “What did he do to get _her_ ready to draw her sword on him _?_ And... how are the limb damage models in this game...?”

“... You can lose them, but they stay around for a bit, why?”

Silica shook her head. “If it breaks out into a fight, she’s liable to beat him to the ground with his own arm,” she said.

"... That isn't a playful exaggeration is it?" Alicia asked, color draining from her face.

"Oh, dear," Sakuya said. "'Is this yours?' That's what she said before she handed a red player back his own arm--"

“You watched that fight?” Silica asked. “That was almost a year ago.”

Alicia rose. "Is it wrong I'm thinking I should let her do it once?"

"Yes," Silica agreed. "She'll hate herself for days after, and I'll be cross with you. And then Harry will get irritated, and Kirito will start pulling his detached but caring big brother bit--"

“And what about the others?” Alicia asked.

“Rain would just comment that he brought it on himself,” Silica replied. “She grew up in Japan, and one of her parents is Japanese, but she was born in Russia and has a Slavic outlook on some things. Violence and justified homicide being two of them. Strea would probably egg her on, or jump in for the hell of it. She likes a good fight, that one. And Yui would probably try to talk to her about it. For all that she’s so young, she knows a lot about psychology. And Asuna….”

"I don't think I want to know how Asuna will react, do I?" Alicia asked, already in motion.

Silica gave her a small, not at all reassuring, smile.

"Right, let's hurry."

##

Leafa had barely managed to keep them from fighting right in the streets and got them into the sparring circle. She saw that both Hadrian and Lux were oddly relaxed, as if this was just another day for them. _How can they go from ready to draw swords to relaxed like this when a fight is coming?_ She thought in wonder.

She glanced over to Sigurd, who was trying to effect a similar appearance of relaxation, as if he was assured of his victory, but the tension in his body, the anger in his eyes, the white knuckled grip on his sword’s hilt showed the truth for anyone to see. She didn’t know how they managed to get under his skin so thoroughly without doing much, but… no she knew how they managed to. He needed to be in control, and the two of them basically showed no concern toward his threats.

And why would they? The two of them had faced down far more significant threats, ones which were actual threats to their lives. What Sigurd was doing wouldn’t intimidate them in the slightest.

She idly wondered if he knew what he was getting into when she heard the sound of feet hitting the ground. The fact that the quiet conversations from the crowd had stopped made her turn to see who had arrived, only to see Lady Sakuya walking up with two Cait Sith. One of them was looking at the standoff with a critical eye, while Lady Sakuya and… was that Alicia Rue, the Cait Sith leader? Well, she saw them looking on with some worry. She heard a strange chirping cry and looked to see a feathered dragon flying around the other Cait Sith.

The fact that the Spriggan, Yui, went over and gently grabbed it gave her a good idea of who the other one was. _So, Silica came here with Lady Alicia,_ she thought as she turned her attention fully to Lady Sakuya. “Lady Sakuya,” she said with a bow. “I see you got my message. And I apologize if I interrupted your meeting.”

“No apologies are necessary, Leafa,” Sakuya said with a nod as she looked on the trio in the sparring ring. “How did this happen?”

“He made some insinuations that my daughter was lying about being an SAO survivor,” Shirin said. “And that she wouldn’t log into another virtual game due to fears of being trapped in here if she was one.” She shook her head. “She took offense to it. I will admit that her being an SAO survivor means that she is far more to the point, even rude by most standards, about voicing things. She’s almost like an American in that regard now.”

“Not quite that blunt,” Silica said. “But I know what you mean. The need for clear and concise communication got us to discard a lot of habits. And like with an American, any perception of rudeness is not intentional on our part, and I have to ask this, ma’am, but how formal was she in her speech?”

“Polite enough, but not overly formal, why?”

Silica sighed in relief. “Good,” she said. “If she was being overly formal, then that would mean that she is furious, rather than simply angry or irritated.”

Everyone blinked at her.

“It’s an SAO thing,” Silica said by way of explanation. "Or... maybe a Steel Phoenix thing. We may have picked it up a bit from Harry..."

“Why do I not find that reassuring?” Alicia Rue asked.

“Because you’re sane and normal,” Silica, Strea and Yui immediately replied. Pina’s chirping with them was both adorable and disconcerting to Leafa. It was as if the feathered dragon understood human speech and was agreeing with them.

“We don’t really do normal,” Yui added.

“Well, we do, but…” Strea began.

“I don’t think that normal for us would be normal for everyone else.” Silica finished and then looked back toward the sparring ring. "And it looks like they’ve started, with Lux stepping up. It’s odd seeing her with a spatha, rather than a broadsword.”

“Is there a difference?” Leafa asked curiously.

“In terms of fighting, not too much,” Silica said with a shrug. “She just preferred a basket hilted one handed sword. And she’s holding true to form.”

Leafa watched as the fight began and her eyes widened as she saw what Lux did. “Did… did she just cut his arm off, catch it, and _hit him with it_?”

“You forgot her tossing it back to him,” Strea said with a wince. “Didn’t even see them start a duel, and she’s... “

“She’s not playing around,” Leafa said. “When she had a bunch of players call her out on her choice of name, she wasn’t this… she was giving them a chance.”

Shirin watched as Sigurd surrendered quickly after that, his eyes wide with fear. “I saw a bit of that fight against that one group,” she said. “The one where it was just you, Hadrian, and my daughter, not the one called… Laughing… Coffin? Yes, Laughing Coffin. I heard about that fight, and what she did.” She looked at Silica. “The fact that you and Hadrian decided to get married cheered her up immensely after that battle, but I did see the one where she first… disarmed an opponent.”

Silica smiled, her ears twitching. “It cheered more than her up,” she said. “Morale among the players in general was riding high for the next month after the wedding. Everything wasn’t fine, but after that battle, but everyone needed something positive to focus on.” She turned back to the sparring ring. “I would say it’s all done now. He doesn’t look like he wishes to continue the fight.”

“He better not be,” Sakuya growled out as she walked forward. “Silica, I hope you don’t mind, but I think I will have some words with your husband. I have a feeling that he either added to the situation that led to this, or he didn’t do anything to calm it down. Shirin, I apologize, but I will have to do so with your daughter as well. Nothing serious, but as much of a nuisance to deal with as Sigurd can be, they should have brought the matter to me, rather than this.”

“Feel free to chew him out for it,” Silica said. “Knowing him, he’ll take responsibility to what he did.”

“I understand, my lady,” Shirin added.

Sakuya nodded to them and continued forward.

##

Harry looked at Sigurd, who was still staring at Lux in shock. Lux was keeping her expression neutral, and he didn’t see any signs that she was having any flashbacks to the previous two incidents, but he kept an eye on her nonetheless. It took a lot to provoke her into being ready to draw her sword, but that didn’t change the fact that she was the one who was most reluctant to utilize violence or the threat of it as a solution to a problem she might have with someone.

Which was a good thing in his mind. He and Silica had to fight for their place on the front lines due to their ages, so they had to demonstrate that they weren’t a pair to fuck with or be patronizing to, Rain could strip paint in SAO with her cursing at someone who managed to irritate her, Kirito simply ignored the idiots, and Asuna could quell most with a few choice words and a look.

But Lux was non-confrontational by nature. For him to get her to be ready to use violence on his person, Sigurd had to have seriously offended her. And the fact that she beat him over the head with his own arm… Well, as the Americans would say, he really screwed the pooch there.

He turned to look at the crowd, who were all staring at Lux in shock save for... oh hell. Lady Sakuya was marching toward them, and he could tell that she wasn’t happy.

“Can you three explain what this was all about?” She asked in a chilly voice when she got to them.

“Lady Sakuya,” he said with a bow. “My apologies for this coming to your attention. It was a bit of a disagreement between these two, one which I will admit I did not help when I involved myself in it.”

“And your animus with Sigurd would not help in such matters,” Sakuya said and then turned to Lux. “And you?”

Lux had the grace to look abashed. “Um, he came very close to outright saying that I was lying about being an SAO survivor, and in front of my mother, no less.” She shot Sigurd a cold look. “The fact that he said that I would be afraid to be trapped in another VR game, and the way he said it… I took offense.”

“How so?” Sakuya asked without changing expression.

“He stated it as if it was fact,” Lux said. “I told him precisely what to do with such a “fact”. I was a little rude in how I did so.”

Harry blinked at that. Lux, being rude? That was something he didn’t expect, and with how he heard how prickly Sigurd could be, he would not have taken that well. And with how he and Lux got into a conversation and seemingly ignored the idiot…

He would accept his responsibility in this, and he knew that Lux would accept her own responsibility. The question now was, if Sigurd would. He watched as Sakuya turned her attention to the man, and was waiting for his response to this.

**December 30, 2024 - Shiba Compound, Unplottable Location**

Sirius sat in the small room, sipping the tea that one of the household servants provided. He had visited enough to know not to thank them personally or directly, but he would inform the head of the household’s servants, Hikoma Kusakabe, and praise the discreet quality of the service. His presence had been requested, as Nott had come from England to attack Harry, and the man was still being questioned.

Not that he expected for them to get much more out of it other than the fact that this was his idea. It certainly wasn’t something planned by any of Voldemort’s other Death Eaters, with him as the planned patsy. Nott was a lot of things, intelligent in his own way, dangerous with a wand, and so forth. But a skilled planner for these kinds of things was not one of them.

He looked over to the shoji as it slid open, and Kaoru Shiba entered with her adopted son and current head of the Shiba Clan. The two sat at the low table and one of the servants came out, providing them fresh cups of tea.

“You were right that he wouldn’t have much to reveal,” Takeru said as he sat the cup down. “He was wondering how we found him so quickly, and no one saw fit to explain anything more than the fact that we were tipped off. It was, however, pointed out that he was spotted by Mister Potter and Miss Ayano.”

Sirius smirked. “And he probably claimed that his stealth abilities were up to par against them,” he said. “One is non-magical despite being a part of our world, and the other only had two years of Hogwarts education, and the ones who would be teaching the basics of those skills have been… subpar in such things for a while.”

“But Mister Potter still has the instincts of his time in SAO,” Kaoru said. “Admittedly, Chiaki, Ryunosuke and Kotoha have said that they aren’t riding as high anymore, but they are still there and close to the surface.”

“It’s been three weeks,” Takeru said. “Though it will be some months before they’re more or less not at the forefront of his consciousness all the time.”

Sirius nodded. “And he won’t lose them in their entirety,” he noted. “Spotting something, or in this case _someone_ , that is out of place is a learned habit. Still, it’s a good thing that he’s not being hyper alert all the time.”

It was one less thing to be concerned about. His own experiences in SAO meant that Harry could easily overreact to something and be a danger to others if he had his wand. Even so, Sirius didn’t intend to hand it back to Harry until the arrangements for his magic instruction have been finalized and he’s taking lessons. Something his godson, surprisingly, fully agreed with.

**December 31, 2024 - Nerima, Potter-Black Apartment**

“Well, you’re dressing up,” Dudley noted as he took in Harry’s clothing. It wasn’t a suit, but he was going with a nice pair of pressed dark slacks and a green collared shirt. He would admit, he almost expected to see some goldish embroidery on it, maybe the Emblem of Steel Phoenix, on it.

“Well, Keiko did say I should dress nicely for when we head out to the New Year’s festival being held tonight,” Harry said. “I heard Nijika and Hiyori are coming. And if Nijika is coming…” He shot his cousin a smirk. “Well, she’ll be bringing her sister along and you do seem to get along quite well with her.”

Dudley flushed and then glared at his cousin. “It’s not like that,” he said. “Besides, she’s headed back to America the day after tomorrow, a day before I have to head back to England, if you recall.”

“Right, right,” Harry said, waving it off. “And the fact that her sister threatened to make pelmeni out of your own testicles and feed them to you if you made any moves on her has nothing to do with it.”

“I’m also not stupid enough to risk her making good on that threat,” Dudley said. “So, we’re meeting them at the Saotome-Tendo Dojo?”

Harry nodded, grabbing his jacket. “Yeah, so let’s fetch my dogfather and our minders and head over there.”

**Saotome-Tendo Dojo**

Dudley watched as Harry stared at Keiko as she entered the dojo, taking his glasses off and cleaning the lenses before putting them back on. Dudley had to admit, she was wearing a beautiful kimono in varying shades of blue with a pattern of plum blossoms sewn onto it. Her hair was tied into a simple bun, held back with… kanzashi if he remembered correctly.

He idly noticed the woman with her, wearing a kimono as well, and he could easily tell that she was older than she looked. The grey hair, with only hints of auburn in it, said that.

He waved a hand in front of his cousin’s face before sighing. “Well, we lost him,” he said, turning to the older woman. “Was that intended?”

The woman raised a sleeve and covered her mouth to give off a soft laugh. “Perhaps,” she said with some amusement. “It was certainly how I talked my great-granddaughter into wearing a kimono.” She shook her head. “Keiko has always been reluctant to wear a full kimono, and she isn’t unique in that. Her mother and aunt are the same way, which is a shame. Ah, but where are my manners, I’m Nodoka Saotome, Keiko’s great-grandmother.”

“Great-grandma, it’s just not me,” Keiko said.

“Well, if you take your fiancé’s reaction into account,” Nodoka said, indicating Harry. “Then reserving it for special occasions might be something you can look into. And yes, I know why you insisted on going with a _hōmongi_ , but do keep in mind that out here, you two aren’t married quite yet. When I was your age, an unmarried woman wearing one would have gotten people talking. Not really the case today, but even so, some people will notice. And dear, I do know that you and your fiancé act as though you are married, barring some activities.”

Keiko flushed and then looked at Harry. “Harry, back me up here,” she said plaintively. When she got no response she gave him a closer look and waved her hand in front of his face. “Harry? And his brain’s shut down.” She reached up and swatted him, which got a reaction.

“What was that for, Keiko?” He asked, rubbing the back of his head.

“She didn’t swat you that hard, Harry,” Dudley said. “And she did it because your brain basically shut down when you saw her walk in wearing her kimono.”

“What can I say?” Harry asked with a shrug. “She looks beautiful, and this caught me by surprise. You saw what she wore when we got married, right?” At Dudley’s nod, he smirked. “It took a lot of effort for me to not completely shut down due to how beautiful she was then, and I expected it. Getting surprised like this? No contest.”

“If my great-grandmother and your cousin weren’t here in the room, or the rest of my family most likely waiting right outside the door, I would kiss you,” Keiko said with a smile before looking at the door to the dojo and shooting it a smirk. “And Uncle Ko? I better be getting a cut from the betting that went on.”

There was a muted thump and some cursing coming from the door before something which might have been a sound of assent came through it. Harry and Keiko looked at each other and then at Nodoka and Dudley before the four of them all chuckled.

##

Nijika looked on in amusement as her sister fidgeted in her kimono, done in a light blue with a bamboo pattern on it. A mix of Russian and Japanese Nanairo may be, but she was an American by upbringing due to being raised there. Something like a kimono would be completely unfamiliar to her. Not that it didn’t make her look any less cute.

_She should be glad that there wasn’t a_ wakiake _in her size,_ she thought to herself. _Though she would have looked absolutely adorable in it._

That Mrs. Saotome actually had a few _wakiake_ that had been lovingly maintained for decades was almost surprising until it was revealed that she had mostly worn kimono for most of her life.

Her own kimono was in red, with a camellia pattern. Her mother was looking on in amusement, having assisted Mrs. Saotome in dressing her daughters before being assisted into her own kimono. Airi Karatachi did have a few kimono, including a couple of second-hand ones that she had managed to find for her eldest daughter, who favored her father more in terms of height and build. A good thing, too, as even a cheap new kimono made of proper materials could easily cost more than half a million yen.

Hiyori had shown up with her mother a few minutes after they did and was looking at her own kimono clad reflection. It was a light lavender, rather than a deep purple due to the season, with pine branches patterned on it. Like the other girls, she was wearing a _hōmongi_ , and it wasn’t like anyone would really say much about it. That, and a _furisode_ was far too formal. They were going out to a festival, not to a wedding or their _Seijin no Hi_ celebration.

_Hell, a kimono is still too much on the formal side,_ she thought to herself. _But just try saying no to this woman._ She glanced at Nodoka. She was friendly and polite, but Nijika could easily see an iron will behind that smile. Not the kind of will she was going to go against in this case.

Besides, Nanairo in a kimono. She and her mother needed to get their cellphones out and take a picture.

**Nerima, New Year’s Festival**

Sumire watched as her daughter led her friends around to various stalls, sharing an amused look with her husband and the other adults who had accompanied them. Keiko and the girls looked positively beautiful in their kimono, and she had to hand it to her grandmother in that regard. She always knew how to pick a kimono for any occasion, and seeing the reactions on the boys to them had been something she and the others had snapped pictures of.

Well, Harry only had eyes for Keiko, but he did have positive comments to give to the others. His cousin, on the other hand, had been struck speechless.

“Too bad the rest of their friends couldn’t come by,” Sirius said. “Not that it’s that big a problem, as they’re spending New Year’s with family, but the invitation was sent out.”

“And I have to thank you for inviting Hiyori and I here,” Hiyori’s mother, Motoko, said. “With her father on a business trip, and with her medical appointments, it would have been difficult to visit my family up in Aomori as we normally would. Perhaps when her therapy is done, we can go up there. I know the family would appreciate seeing her.” She looked at Airi. “And what about you?”

Airi shrugged. “My family and I haven’t been on the best terms ever since I married Nijika and Nanairo’s father and moved to Russia,” she said. “I was lucky to be able to find work in Akiba after the divorce, but I can’t change the past.” She looked on her daughters. “Pyotr, my ex-husband, took Nanairo with him to America, believing that they would nurture her mind better, and he may have been right. She’s only fourteen and is Doctor Nanairo Arshavin, which wouldn’t be the case here. But still, I don’t think she has had many opportunities to act her age. That one young man with you, Mister Black, Dudley? She gets along with him quite well, which is nice. Nijika tries, but there is that distance between the two, and it’s not just because it’s been a decade before they saw each other again.”

Sirius nodded. “There’s a distance between all of them and the rest of us,” he said. “They’re trying, but bits of SAO are going to follow them for a while. And it looks like they’re stopping to grab something to eat.”

Sumire looked at where they were and almost laughed. “Oh, it looks like Auntie Ukyo and Uncle Konatsu are selling Okonomiyaki, and I see Shigure and Taisuke there,” she said. “And they’re all going with the gender reversed roles as well.” She shook her head. “Only in Nerima.”

##

Hiyori watched as she was handed her okonomiyaki, giving the waitress a speculative look. From the amused looks on Keiko, Harry and Dudley’s faces, she was missing something.

“Damn,” Nijika said. “He pulls that off real well, as does the older one.”

_Wait, he?_ Hiyori thought. _That was a guy?_

“Got a good trap radar there,” Keiko said.

“I live in Akiba,” Nijika said with a shrug, taking a bite of her okonomiyaki. “So I see stuff like that all the time. So, you know them?”

“We’ve known her entire family for decades,” The cook said, placing another okonomiyaki into a container and handing it to Harry. “Here ya go, kid.”

“Thanks,” Harry said as he began eating.

“Anyway,” the cook said. “I’m an old friend of her grandpa’s, so I’ve been cooking okonomiyaki for the Saotomes for about forty years now. As for the gender reversals, well, my husband and I have been playing this act for about as long. His… family… raised him as a girl, just as my old man raised me more like a boy, and that’s about as much as I will say.”

Hiyori nodded, catching the unspoken request to drop the matter and took a bite of her okonomiyaki. It was pretty good.

“So, Auntie Ukyo, anything interesting happen while I was in SAO?” Keiko asked.

##

Nanairo looked around at the festival, taking in the sights. It was a raucous event, far more raucous than she expected. Then again, she had come to Japan with some preconceptions that they were a far more reserved people. Staying with her mom and sister in Akihabara had shown that the Japanese might be reserved, but not to the degree that she expected. But the sights and sounds of the festival, with people talking, occasionally shouting, and generally having fun. The food concessions were a bit overpriced, but that was expected. As were the probably rigged games.

It was fun, actually. Back in Cambridge, she was often at the MIT campus helping with this or that research project, and was thus with a far different crowd, a bunch of post-docs and stuffed shirt professors, where she had to act considerably more mature than her age would suggest. But being here with her sister, and free of the expectations that had been heaped upon her, and finally able to act her age, or simply laze around and relax.

It was nice, to pretend to be a normal girl, not that she wasn’t proud of her accomplishments. She got a PhD. at the age of thirteen, which was remarkable, even for a prodigy. But there were times when she wondered what it would have been like to be a normal girl. Like… like her sister was, at one time.

That thought made her sigh.

“Something on your mind?” Dudley asked.

Nanairo looked at him. “Was just wondering what it would mean,” She said in English. “To be normal, that is.”

Dudley shrugged. “I wouldn’t know,” he said. “A couple of years ago, I thought I knew what it was, but I found out that what I had seen as normal was far from it. I guess everyone has their own definition of it. I mean, look at the others.”  
  
“What do you mean?” She asked.

“To them, this isn’t normal,” Dudley said. “They have spent two years trapped in SAO, risking their lives on a nearly daily basis. For them, that was normal. It doesn’t matter if we don’t see it as real. To them it was very real. And now it’s done with, and they don’t really know what to do.”

“They’re unused to peace,” Nanairo concluded. “It’s easy to see it as something else, but they basically went through a war, and now it’s done with.” She saw him get a thoughtful look on his face before nodding.

“It fits,” he said. “And SAO was good for him in many ways. It’s hard to explain, but he got a lot of the things he’s wanted and needed out of being there. Things my parents should have done, but didn’t due to his parents not fitting their ideas of normal, or simply jealousy on my mum’s part. It’s complicated.”

Nanairo nodded, filing that information away. Considering what he had said while their waited for their turns in customs, she had a feeling that it was both complicated and simple at the same time. But it wasn’t any of her business, and she wouldn’t go prying into a matter that was between the two of them like some of those flighty undergrads were known to do.

**Kyoto, Yuuki Family Home**

Asuna wanted to grind her teeth as she listened to another patronizing comment from one of the vipers that masqued herself as a member of her extended family who married into it. It was already a struggle to maintain the stiff and polite smile which some of her cousins were savvy enough to take as the warning it was.

The comments about how she was now behind in her education were annoying, but she could easily bear with such. She and her cousins had often competed in academics, so the fact that she was trailing behind them for a change was something they were going to enjoy while it lasted.

Because they knew it wouldn’t last.

But these vipers, with their insinuations and everything were trying her patience to the point where she wished she still had her rapier. Stabbing someone was starting to seem like a good exercise in catharsis to her and she was already beginning to see what in the room she could use to get rid of them.

“All right,” her aunt, Miyuki, said. “I think that’s enough. Give her some space.”

She watched as the woman who married her uncle and the family head, Ryo, easily dispersed the crowd of harridans, shooing them out of the room. The woman sighed and shook her head, muttering something about how her brothers-in-law could have chosen better. Asuna carefully pretended to not hear the comment and waited as the woman brought her attention to her niece.

“Oh, do relax, Asuna,” Miyuki said. “I noticed that you were getting a bit too stiff with being crowded by them, as well as their comments, and it wasn’t hard for me to imagine that you were beginning to start scanning the room for something to drive them off with.”

Asuna didn’t even try to affect an innocent expression and gave her aunt a bland look. She had been getting close to that point, after all.

Miyuki chuckled. “You really are your mother’s daughter,” she said. “She was fit to tear into everyone back in March when some of them tried to forward the idea of disowning you for that unpleasant business you were involved in.”

“I am aware,” Asuna said neutrally. “What happened was unpleasant, and what I did wasn’t praiseworthy, but I don’t regret it. Because of that, the one I came to the aid of is alive to see the daughter that was born while we all were in SAO. The one I killed… he was the one who talked all of the Laughing Coffin members into doing that. As it was, they still killed over two hundred people, but we put a stop to them.”

Miyuki nodded. “You are correct that killing someone is not something worthy of praise, and you understand that,” she said. “Was it absolutely necessary? I cannot answer that question, and from what we were able to learn about that man, he is guilty of far more crimes than just what he did in SAO. That you were the one to do it is regrettable, but…”

“At best, it was a necessary evil,” Asuna said. “Not that it makes it easier to live with, but what happened, happened.” Her eyes hardened. “And if they can’t accept that, then so be it. I have had to live with that for nine months, and will have to live with what I did for the rest of my life. And when it gets down to it, their opinions are only worth what I allow them to be worth to me.”

“Then there is nothing that needs to be said,” Miyuki said with a nod. “You understand full well what you did there, and are accepting the consequences of them. But you don’t need to concern yourself with the family disowning you. Your uncle, my husband, is fully aware that your actions were honorable. Not praiseworthy, but necessary and honorable in the situation that was at hand at that time.”

Asuna nodded, taking the acceptance for what happened then for what it was. She let the anger and irritation bleed out of her and too a few breaths. “Aunt Miyuki,” she said. “We shouldn’t delay here long. It is almost time for dinner, I believe.”

Miyuki glanced at the clock and nodded. “I do believe you are correct, Asuna.”

##

Kyouko kept an eye on Asuna as she ate dinner, watching her daughter as she interacted with the rest of the extended family. She hadn’t missed Miyuki moving in and shooing away the others who had been crowding Asuna, nor had she missed the tension in her daughter beforehand. Asuna had kept her poise and comportment, but it was clear that she had been a hair’s breadth from abandoning it, something some of those twits, the younger ones, had realized and wisely backed off from.

Only a fool antagonized someone who was still having to deal with peace after spending nearly every day fighting for her life.

Her daughter hadn’t lost everything of her upbringing because of SAO, but her experiences had changed how she used them. Their regular debates about how things should go now that she was out of SAO made that apparent.

Asuna was more willful and independently minded, and it was clear that many here didn’t know what to think about the young woman now. She had accepted the conditions of getting caught up in her studies, but was more than willing to accept the government’s solution on providing it. Which didn’t mean that she saw it as a reason to slack. If anything, she hoped to lead academically there, but Kyouko knew the real reason why she was willing to go with it.

Her friends would be going there, and it would allow her to maintain the connections she made. And if the government was going to handle the matter of providing a school, then she saw no reason to refuse their largesse, even if it was a thinly disguised means of keeping an eye on all of those who were of age to be risking their lives in SAO.

Kyouko thought that her daughter was being shortsighted with that. There would be issues that she would have to face, simply because she was an SAO survivor. In the eyes of many, she no longer fit the mold, and that would count against her, especially when it’s made clear that she _was_ an SAO survivor.

“I would be facing that anyway, regardless, mother.” Was all she had to say on the matter. “It’s well known who was most engaged in clearing the game, so it’s not like I can fade into the background and just let it blow over before resurfacing. Not in this day and age.”

Kyouko really didn’t have anything to say in response to that, because it was true. SAO would follow Asuna regardless of what anyone tried to do.

Still, she would enjoy the schadenfreude of others in the family not knowing what to make of Asuna while she could. Ryo and Miyuki were doing the best, simply acknowledging the changes, and the reasons for them, and moving on to reconnect with their niece.

No judging looks, no condemnation, simply accepting and moving on. Asuna had clearly appreciated that.


	5. Situations for the Socially Adjusting

**January 3, 2025 - Nerima, Potter-Black Residence**

Harry checked the time on his cellphone, noting that his cousin and godfather should be boarding the plane right about now before looking over his room again. With Dudley now on his way back to England with Sirius, Harry would have the place to himself for the next few days.

Well, outside of his minders from the Shibas, who would be coming by to make sure he was settling in nicely.

Without having to share the room with his cousin, it looked quite a bit larger, though still smaller than was common in the West. Not that he was complaining. It was his room, after all, with everything in it belonging to him, from the computer on the desk, to the books on the bookshelf, though Sirius had footed the bill for just about everything aside from the books and a few other knickknacks that he had acquired when he did school shopping for Hogwarts those years ago.

He was alone, outside of his minders, who could be quite discreet. It was still a damn sight better than his aunt and uncle abandoning him in the old house on 'Privvie' when Figg wasn't available. Sirius had at least made sure there was food available. Not just instant ramen or old bread, but also other things, as well as some noted down recipes if he felt like properly cooking something, which he might.

He didn’t mind cooking all that much, especially since it wasn’t for a bunch of ungrateful relatives. If it came down to it, he’d take some of the yen left for him and get something. The okonomiyaki Ucchan’s made was pretty good, and Keiko had been telling him to give the Nekohanten a try as well, so it wasn’t as if he didn’t have options.

Though he would have to look at what he had to work with, first.

He heard the tone from his cellphone indicating a text message and checked it. It was from Keiko and it almost made him snort at her asking if his dogfather had left yet. He sent a quick reply that he had, when she sent him another text telling him to meet her at the Saotome-Tendo Dojo.

_Wonder what this is about,_ he thought.

**Saotome-Tendo Dojo**

Keiko shot the snickering pair that happened to be her uncles an annoyed look as she got the reply from Harry that he would be by shortly. “What are you idiots planning?” She asked them and then looked toward her amused grandfather, who was standing next to a suspicious barrel, before sighing. She could easily guess what was about to happen. “Didn’t you three do the Instant Jusenkyo Welcome back at the hospital?”

“He took that rather well, actually,” her grandfather said with a nod. “But being as it _was_ the hospital, they couldn’t do the full thing.”

Keiko raised an eyebrow. “And what would that be?” She asked.

“Dressing him in the girliest outfits we could stuff him into after dousing him,” Ko said, getting his snickering under control. “He did say you beat us to the punch on that one in SAO, though.”

Keiko smirked. “Yeah, me and the girls conned him and Kirito into putting on a little fashion show,” she said smugly. “He actually took that quite well, and when Rain began making noises about going out and around Lindarth, his only protest was that the two of them weren’t properly escorted and chaperoned.”

Ko blinked. “Oh?”

Keiko nodded. “So he got Ashley to get Asuna and I into proper clothing,” she explained. “Since the boys were the ladies, it was up to Asuna and I to be the gentlemen, with Rain and Lux as the chaperones. Asuna was quite embarrassed in what she was wearing, it left nothing to the imagination.”

“And you weren’t?” Ko asked.

Keiko shrugged. “I already had it planned if he decided to turn it around on us,” she said, smirking. “So I made sure that he would be _very_ glad to be wearing a poofy skirt at that time.” She then shot her uncles a look. “Well, I might as well watch, if only to laugh as you two, as Harry would say, bugger it up.”

“You’ve gotten cheeky since you got trapped in SAO,” Akira said.

Keiko shrugged. “You should hear some of our humor,” she said. “Like when Harry threatened to leave Klein tied to a tree with his ass bare for a gerbera if he got us all drunk last New Year during that party. All Lux, that’s Hiyori, had to say was that the poor mob didn’t do anything to deserve that.”

Ranma snorted. “Wasn’t that one of the plant monsters on that one floor?” He asked. “Surprised you didn’t get him to go down there with you to help you kill a lot of them with fire.”

Keiko shrugged. “More satisfying to kill them myself,” she said.

“Umm, what is a gerbera?” Akira asked.

“Plant mob native to the forty-seventh floor of Aincrad,” Keiko said. “It liked to grab you with its tentacles and hoist you into the air.”

“... What kind of person designed that?” Akira asked, wincing when he realized just exactly what Harry’s threat meant. “And he threatened that?”

“One who really needed to get a girlfriend, not that he would have managed to get one if that was his fetish,” Keiko responded. “And yeah, he did give that threat. It wasn’t a serious one, though.” She got a thoughtful look on her face. “At least, I think he wasn’t being serious.”

“That’s… oddly not reassuring,” Akira said. “Not that he would be able to do anything to us as he is right now.”

“Uncle Akira, he spotted your mistakes during your spar with Uncle Ryoga,” Keiko noted. “You can move faster than him, but he’s _used_ to tracking movement that fast. Hmm, I wonder how you would do in a match with him in ALO. Would make for something fun to watch, most of those players are… decently good by ALO standards, passable by SAO standards.” She shrugged.

“Not even out of SAO for a month, and you’re already playing another VR game?” Ranma asked, giving her a considering look.

“Well, two of our members are AIs, and they’re there.” Keiko replied easily. “Besides, why wouldn’t I? I can fly there.”

“Wasn’t that the main selling point there?” Ko asked idly. “Admittedly, helping Nee-san with the Nekohanten doesn’t give me a lot of time, but I did look into it.” He snorted. “Some of the Amazons who come by here play it when they can, seeing it as a good place to put their training to use. Granny has no problem with it, so long as they keep in mind that it _is_ a game and keep their real world training up, as well as working the restaurant.” He paused. “Wait a minute, _AIs_?”

Keiko looked at her grandfather who shrugged. “Yeah, he and Akira weren’t told,” he said, causing her to sigh.

“Well, this might take awhile,” she said. “But it will kill some time while we wait for Harry to get here and you two idiots can try and humiliate him.” She smirked. “Key word, _try_.”

##

“So she only sent you a text message to come here and nothing else?” Chiaki asked as he accompanied his charge to the front door.

Harry shrugged. “Yeah, and if she didn’t send it, it was probably one of her uncles, which means that it’s going to be more introductory hazing.” He said.

“You’re surprisingly calm about that.”

Harry shrugged. “I’ve had a feeling that they were going to do it anyway, but you might want to stand back and off to the side a bit, just in case they have that water that can temporarily turn me into a female,” he said. “Not the same stuff that cursed her grandfather, but a one-use kind.”

Chiaki nodded. “Ah, the Instant Jusenkyo Powder,” he said. “I’ve heard of it. There’s a small market for it, and I had heard that it can be obtained by here in Nerima.”

Harry raised an eyebrow. “Really?” He asked. “I would wonder why, but I can think of a few reasons there would be a demand for it.” He looked at door to the residential part of the dojo. “Well, might as well get this started then.” He said and pressed the doorbell.

“Coming!” Came a woman’s call, and a few moments later, the door was opened by Akane Saotome. “Oh, Mister Potter,” She said. “Keiko did say that she asked you to come by. Come in, please.” She looked at Chiaki and gave him an amused look. “And Chiaki, it’s been too long.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Saotome, and pardon the interruption,” Harry said, bowing.

Chiaki smiled. “It has indeed, Master Saotome,” he said, bowing as well. “Last time, you sent me into a wall when a demon I was pursuing burst into your bath.”

“Be glad it was a wall,” Akane said easily. “The demon wasn’t so lucky.”

“That it wasn’t,” Chiaki said with a wince, clearly remembering that moment.

Harry blinked and shrugged it off. Keiko had said that her grandparents had led eventful lives, to put it mildly, and he saw no need to disbelieve her. As he once observed, the truth can often be stranger than fiction. And the truth does _not_ have to make logical sense. Fiction, however, does have to have some logic behind it, if only so the recipient of the story can follow and understand it.

Akane looked at him, and he could see a glint of amusement in her eyes. “Keiko’s waiting in the dojo… along with some others,” she said.

“Your husband and sons?” Harry asked, already knowing the answer.

Akane nodded. “We also have a few cameras for pictures,” she said with a smirk. “After all, we did the same to Tetsuhiko, and it was one way to keep my sons in line for a few hours when they were getting too rambunctious. Not that it worked that well with Ko after he was in his teens, but that’s because Elder Khu Lon and his biological mother had him girled up for parts of his training. And it wasn’t as if he could complain to Ranma, either, since he had to deal with the same on more than one occasion, and he has the permanent curse.”

“Ah, you will be taking pictures, as is proper when embarrassing someone,” Harry said with a nod before glancing at Chiaki. “And did you know about this?”

Chiaki shook his head. “Sadly, no,” he said, almost apologetically. Almost. “Such a shame that your godfather’s stuck on a plane escorting your cousin back to England, too.”

“His loss.”

##

Keiko shook her head as her uncles got done dousing Harry with the Instant Jusenkyo and quickly stuffed him into a dress. She would give one of them credit, it was clear that Uncle Ko had done the makeup, given that he had spent more time as a female than Uncle Akira due to his mother and Elder Khu Lon insisting on him being female while learning Amazon techniques. But the dress that Uncle Akira had chosen…

It was frilly, it was gaudy, it was saccharine, it was… pink. And not a subdued and tasteful pink, but the kind of bright pink that was favored by little girls and young adult women who were trying too hard at being cute.

She glanced at her grandfather, who was shaking his head in disappointment at what was being done. Not the changing Harry into a girl, or stuffing him into a dress, she knew better than to assume that. No, it was due to how poorly done the entire thing was. Well, outside of the makeup.

She watched as Harry looked at herself after Akira snapped a quick picture with his phone and then at the two smirking Saotomes and shook her head. “Is that all?” Was all she had to ask. “I expected better than this, though the makeup’s adequate, I guess.”

Ko snorted and shook his head. “I told Akira that it wouldn’t work, but he was insistent that we do the full thing,” he said.

Harry arched an eyebrow. “And you couldn’t find anything tasteful?” She asked. “I’m pretty sure that Keiko picked out the dress she got me to do a fashion show in.”

“Actually, Asuna and I just let Ashley pick the dress,” Keiko chimed in. “We figured that he, she, whatever, would pick well. And you two did look good in what you two were put in.”

“As did you and Asuna when I insisted that the two of you be properly attired if you were going to insist on taking us out into Lindarth, or elsewhere,” Harry replied with a smirk.

Keiko smirked back. “And it’s not like you didn’t like what you saw,” she said.

“Oh, I liked it, dear,” Harry said. “I liked it indeed.” She patted herself down. “Where did my cellphone go, I did manage to grab some of the screenshots. Figured I’d have them on hand just in case Headmaster Dumbledore decides to surprise me with a visit and bring some of my friends from England along for the ride.” Ko handed it over. “Thanks.”

Keiko snapped a picture. “Give me a moment, I’m sending this to Auntie Ukyo and Uncle Konatsu,” she said.

“Send them a picture of what you did to me in SAO, dear,” Harry said. “You need me to send a copy to you?”

Keiko laughed. “Oh, please, _yes._ ”

Harry did so, and she looked it over, nodding. Of course she would pick the best one of that event, showing him in that green dress, and looking all prim and proper. She pulled up the draft of the text message she was writing and attached it before finishing it and sending it. “Well, let’s see what they think of this,” she said.

Both Akira and Ko looked at the picture Harry was showing them, and shook their heads.

“She did that to you?” Ko asked. “That tailor didn’t do a bad job in picking things out.”

Harry nodded and played with the cellphone a bit before showing them another picture. “And this is what Keiko got to wear.”

Both of them looked at the picture and then back at Harry. “If it wasn’t due to you turning a prank around on her, we would have to pound you for that,” Akira said.

Harry just shrugged. “So, how long will I have to stay like this?” She asked. “I would like my clothes back, not to mention be a bloke again.”

Ranma chuckled and shook his head. “Akira, Ko, you tried to have your fun, but if he could take being turned into a girl before calmly, what makes you think it would work this time?” He asked. He then turned his attention back to Keiko. “Keiko, could you step outside?”

Keiko shrugged and headed out the dojo. She heard the chime of a text message and checked it before bursting out in laughter.

_Are you still in contact with whoever dressed him in SAO? They were on the right track. Also, tell Akira and Ko that we may have to teach them how to do it right. Again._

**January 6, 2025 - Chiyoda, SAO Task Force HQ**

Seijiro Kikuoka looked over the summary of the files that were documenting the recovery of all the SAO survivors that were being tracked by his taskforce. As things stood now, most of them were having few problems on both the physical and psychological fronts outside of the expected. Unsurprising, considering that more than half of the survivors didn’t make it a habit to go out of safe zones to begin with, and two years had worn down many of those who had to the point of them settling down.

But it wasn’t them who were the main concerns, but the mid to high level players who continued to do so, which constituted close to two thousand of the survivors. And of them, his office was more concerned with the few hundred who constituted the Assault Team, especially those who had participated in certain actions that he had seen coming earlier in the year.

And those summaries painted a different picture for many of them. He picked up one and looked it over, starting with the front page, which summarized what the rest of the report had, as well as recommendations for them.

_The members of the guild, Steel Phoenix are surprisingly well-adjusted on the surface, given their experiences, but looking over the psychological profiles of them, with their real names omitted, show signs of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in all of them. However, none of them have met the criteria for a formal diagnosis of PTSD as of the writing of this report._

_Every member of Steel Phoenix has admitted that they still demonstrated a degree of nervousness when outside of areas that they specifically consider safe. While they admit to it being due to how they perceived safety and that being outside those areas is nowhere near as dangerous to them, two years of instincts developed during their time in Sword Art Online (SAO) are proving difficult for them to let go of. Understandable, as it has been those instincts that have kept them alive._

_Fortunately, they are able to keep some control of those instincts, but it would be worrisome if some elements of society tried to prey on them. Not just for their safety, but for the safety of those who would see them as easy marks, as they are more likely to react to such a tangible threat with violence._

_The Americans have an extensive body of literature regarding people who have been through similar ordeals. The Counterterrorism and Counterinsurgency Campaigns known collectively as the War on Terror have given them much recent insight on the difficulties many soldiers had in readjusting to a normal life after deployments, and it is recommended that any counselors who will be responsible for the psychological wellbeing of all members become familiar with the methodologies used in assisting in the transition._

_What now follows are more detailed reports on the members of Steel Phoenix. To protect their privacy, they will be known by their SAO names, rather than their real ones._

He read over the entire report, noting that some might end up having the most potential problems in the long run due to either using real names as character names, or freely disclosing them within SAO to begin with. Of course, he had no intention of these reports going to the general public without making sure that the information in them was properly sanitized, but he knew better than to think that someone wouldn’t be able to get a hold of this information beforehand.

For all the sensitivity of the information in the report, it wasn’t classified. _That_ information was kept in separate reports, and under far more secure storage than these simple reports which were more for the sake of his office and others to get a handle on what they would likely be dealing with.

However, while these reports were informative, he would prefer to meet with several individuals, and not just the members of Steel Phoenix, personally.

He had a feeling that they would be able to properly confirm or deny his suspicions on something. After all, if his suspicions were correct, what they didn’t say could be every bit as informative as what they did say.

**Hogwarts, Viewing Room**

Hermione looked at everyone who had been a part of the project she had begun back in her Third Year. There was still a lot to do, she wasn’t of the mind to leave the project undone simply because Harry was outside SAO. And to do that effectively, she needed to brief everyone on Harry’s status. She saw Ron standing to the back of the group, as he wasn’t a formal member, and met his eyes. He gave her a nod and she took a breath.

“Welcome back, everyone,” she began. “I hope your Christmas holidays were enjoyable. We still have weeks of footage left before we reach the end point of SAO, and I would like to reach that point by the end of the school year. But before we begin going through our backlog, I have a few announcements to make.

“During the hols, I had a chance to talk with Harry face to face, and he sends his regards. And no, that doesn’t mean that he came here to England. Ron Weasley and I met him in Japan, and spent a few hours talking with him and his fiancée Keiko Ayano-- or as many of us have come to know her, Silica. Yes, girls, fiancée. While their marriage in SAO isn’t legally recognized, her family and his guardian have granted consent to an extended engagement.”

“Hermione-- before you continue, I have a question to ask,” Daphne said.

Hermione nodded to her. “Go ahead, Daphne.”

“I don’t know if you were paying attention to such a minor detail, but was he sporting a ring on his left ring finger?” She asked. “And was Miss Ayano sporting a similar one on hers?”

Hermione blinked and then got a thoughtful expression on her face, before nodding. She had seen rings on their left ring fingers, but hadn’t commented on that fact right then. “Both of them did,” she said. “And both had what I identified as the Potter Family Crest on them."

"That was indeed my next question," Daphne accepted with a small smile.

Hermione nodded in acknowledgement. "Thank you for that book on many of Magical England’s more notable families, by the way. I wouldn’t have recognized the Crest otherwise. Anyway, why do you ask?”

Daphne nodded to herself. “It means they’re taking this engagement seriously,” she said. "Getting the rings meant for the family's heads? The Potters were.... _are_ progressives, but the traditions they held on to they respected deeply. The rings themselves would likely have popped back to the family vaults or worse if they weren't serious." The Slytherin actually smirked at the groans a few of the young women present couldn't hold back. "Oh, come. Most of us were already out of the running. Oh, and you’re welcome, Hermione."

Hermione nodded and turned her attention to everyone. “Well, Ron and I talked with Harry and Miss Ayano. Both of them are physically healthy, though they’re both still significantly underweight and rebuilding themselves.”

“What about mentally?” Justin Finch-Fletchley asked.

Hermione sighed. “I didn’t see anything wrong with him on the surface, but some of his interactions were... forced,” she said. “A lot of that might have simply been the fact that he hasn’t seen either Ron or myself for over two and a half years and not quite knowing where to start a conversation from, but there were also signs that there is…”

“He's still got the mindset Krum mentioned last year," Anthony Goldstein offered.

"Yes," Hermione said with a sigh. "And it... I don't think it's something he, or any of the others will get over so much as... integrate is the best way to put it. If they're going to be anything close to healthy, they’re going to have to integrate their experiences and the mindset from SAO and adapt them. You remember what the Headmaster shared with us last year?"

They all nodded.

“You could see it in his eyes,” Ron suddenly said, speaking up. “He hides it pretty well, and he’s trying to adjust to being out of there, but you can still see him occasionally looking around and… scanning, I guess. There were also times where he would tense up just a bit, as if something was there, before he relaxed. But you could still see it, the fact that he seemed… ready for something to happen at any moment. His fiancée was the same way.”

Hermione nodded. “Just because they’re done with SAO, doesn’t mean SAO’s done with them,” she said sadly. “He admitted as much, as well as the psychological counseling he’s required to undergo. He implied that they’re looking to make sure he doesn’t have PTSD, and… other things as well.” She sighed. “As it is, he will not be returning to England any time soon.”

“Any reason why?” Daphne asked.

“He said that he’s too well known now, so he can’t simply fade back into the magical world,” Hermione said.

“Too well known?” Justin asked and then snorted. “That’s putting it mildly. The newspapers and television outlets have reported on him more than a few times, so yeah, I can see that.” He looked at Hermione. “So he’ll be staying in Japan then?” At Hermione’s nod. “I wonder how he’ll work toward catching up with his education, then.”

“That is a question that I didn’t ask,” Hermione admitted and then looked at everyone. “Now, do you all want to continue watching his adventures? We already know that the conclusion will be reached soon enough, and the Headmaster had brought back the final two weeks of recordings with him as well. We still have a month’s worth of recordings to go through until we can start on the final two weeks. So, let’s get started.” She met Ron’s eyes, he nodded and exited the room.

**January 18, 2025 - Kawagoe, Kirigaya Residence**

Suguha finished her routine before wiping the sweat off her brow. Even with the chill outside, doing practice routines for kendo would still work up a sweat. Since it was a half-day for school and the kendo club had no scheduled activities, she had decided to get some practice in at home. Turning back to the house, she paused at seeing her brother there, watching her.

“Good afternoon, Sugu,” he said, tossing her a bottle of water.

Suguha caught the bottle easily and popped it open. “So what brings you out here?” She asked.

Kazuto shrugged. “I want to ask some questions about ALO,” he said. “I know Harry and the others have started to play it, so I can ask them, but you’ve played it since it came out. And you’re right here.”

“I was a beta tester for it, actually,” Suguha said. “As for the fact that I’m right here making it easy for you to find an expert, _thanks_.” The sarcasm was fairly mild, more teasing than anything.

Kazuto grinned. “Glad to know,” he said. “So, you were a beta tester for it? Was it…?”

Suguha shook her head, already knowing what he was about to ask. “Not that I can tell,” she said. “A few on my kendo team also got tapped, so the fact that you were an SAO beta, and then trapped in there doesn’t seem to have played a role in my being selected to test the AmuSphere and ALO.” She shrugged. “I’m not ruling out the possibility, but it doesn’t strike me as the only reason, if that counts for anything.

Kazuto nodded. “It does,” he said. “In other words, it might have played a role in your selection, but there were other reasons they could have picked you. So, how was it?”

Suguha grinned. “Well, the combat was cool, once I got over being scared whenever I ran into a mob,” she said. “The first time I had one charge at me made me glad I couldn’t wet myself in game. And it does have a magic system that’s interesting, but it was the flying that sold me, especially when I figured out how to do it without a controller.”

“Yeah, that first time is a bit of a shock,” Kazuto admitted and then got a thoughtful expression on his face. “Flying without a controller though?” He asked in an absent tone of voice. “Hmm, a controller for it isn’t… maybe something to do with... but I would have to… that does seem like, and Harry would…” He snorted. “Oh, who am I kidding, of course he would be trying to.”

Suguha blinked. “Umm, Kazuto, what are you mumbling about?” She asked.

Kazuto blinked and then got a sheepish look on his face. “Sorry, was just thinking on how that would work, flying on your own,” he said. “I would have to look in on it when I do go in, though.”

Suguha blinked. “Wait, you’re going to make a character for it?” She asked. “What did mom and dad say?”

“I talked it over with them this morning while you were at school,” Kazuto said. “They’re fine with it, now that it’s been more than a month since we all got done with SAO. I can understand why mom wanted me to wait a bit. I spent two years in SAO, and I needed to reconnect with the real world.” He shook his head. “Which is easier said than done.”

“What do you mean?” Suguha asked.

Kazuto shrugged. “I… can’t really put it into words, really,” he said. “It’s something that someone who’s been through SAO would understand, especially those of us who were on the Assault Team, but… I’ve tried to explain it during one of my counseling sessions, and I could tell that the counselor didn’t really understand.”

“Understand what?”

Kazuto looked at her. “For two years, SAO was our life, our cause, our reason. Aincrad was our home, our _world_. And now the very context for that reason-- it's just gone. We’re back in the real world, but…” He shook his head and then looked back at her. “So, any tips and advice for ALO, or should I just go in and figure it out myself?”

“Oh, you definitely should take some time and try to figure it out,” Suguha said. “And it will depend on which race you pick.”

“Any recommendations for a race?”

“Just pick whatever one seems right to you.” Suguha said unhelpfully.

Kazuto shot her a sour look. “Gee, _thanks_ ,” he said sarcastically. “Very helpful, Sugu.”

“That’s me, the ever helpful little sister,” Suguha said with a grin.

**Alfheim Online, Skies Above Uruna**

Kirito looked down on the ziggurat-like structure he was flying down to and grinned. He would give the devs props here, flying down into a new world was definitely better than simply logging in through the Nerve Gear and opening one’s eyes in the Town of Beginnings’ central plaza. Not that there was anything wrong with that. No, this was taking that starting point, and improving upon it.

He had gone with Spriggan, if only because of the black color scheme and idly wondered how many of the others will say “called it” when he meets up with them. Probably all of them, given that his preference for dark colors was well known. Besides, black was his color, and if the race didn’t have any bonuses that were based around his fighting style, then it was just another challenge.

He felt his avatar stop its downward motion and looked around, wondering what was going on when everything around him went… weird. “What’s going on?” He asked and then yelped as his avatar entered free fall. He looked toward the ground and sighed. _This isn’t going as expected,_ he thought as what seemed to be a hole in the game opened up in his path.

Before long, blackness took over his vision, and the next thing he saw were tree branches approaching at high speed and uncomfortably…

**Neutral Territory, Ancient Forest**

Sigurd looked at the two sylphs he didn’t want in his group and restrained an urge to grind his teeth. Sakuya had decreed that the two of them and him would be working together for a time. As if he needed the added complication of two players who didn’t know their place!

Granted, Sakuya made sure to send someone along to keep the peace should it become necessary, and Leafa was a good enough fighter that her presence was… acceptable. Didn’t make up for having to deal with Hadrian on his own, though Lux seemed to be content to helping Leafa keep the peace, so long as he, himself, didn’t push the wrong buttons with her. Not that he was inclined to try and find out what those buttons were.

Thankfully, Hadrian seemed content to simply remain quiet and observe, reserving his opinions for after they got back to Swylvane. For now, at least. He would be thankful for that small mercy, especially as Hadrian had explained it rather succinctly.

“We can at least fake it while Lady Sakuya makes us work together,” the younger player said. “You’re not the first person I’ve made nice with in public to avoid people thinking the group is divided. I managed to work with Heathcliff after all and I never trusted him, even before we figured out he was Kayaba.”

Not a desirable outcome, by any stretch, but it did show that Hadrian was acknowledging his own part in their mutual animosity. And that he was willing to put it to the side when needed. Perhaps a byproduct of his time in SAO, where maintaining a public front of civility had been necessary in some respects.

Lux had simply apologized for her part in the events that led to their duel, as well as the events in it. That, more than anything, showed him that she was probably the real deal. And Hadrian as well, given his proven skill. Oddly reassuring, in a way that their faction now had two of the best fighters among the SAO survivors. True, the Cait Sith had Silica, and others were known among the other races, but the Sylphs had two members of Steel Phoenix in their faction.

But he didn’t need their addition to this patrol right now. He had things, important things, to consider and do. With Sakuya and Alicia close to finalizing their treaty, he was stuck in a difficult position. He wasn’t happy with Sakuya’s running of the faction, but at the same time, he could see the benefit of an alliance, especially with the upcoming patch refining the Grand Quest, as well as modifying what the reward would be.

But there was also another thing coming out in the next major patch, a supposed reincarnation system. It had become apparent that he had chosen poorly in deciding to go with playing a Sylph, and he might have been better served…

_Enough of that,_ he thought, shaking the thought out of his head. They were in Neutral Territory, and Salamanders were regularly spotted harassing Sylphs. _If Hadrian and Lux weren’t here, I could easily split off from the group to finally decide on my course of action. But they are, and changing the plan now… Can this day get any more frustrating?_

##

Harry kept a sharp lookout on the group’s left flank, eyes scanning to the sides and above and below. Lux and a young Sylph named Recon were also in his field of view, watching their own sectors, and Leafa was behind and below, keeping an eye more focused towards the ground in case a Salamander group decided to be clever.

Or, that was the plan as it had been discussed, but he had his doubts on it. It wasn’t anything concrete he could exactly point to, but something didn’t seem right with their patrol setup. Part of it might be his own self-awareness about his and Lux’s inexperience with flying in ALO, having to multitask in a way they were unused to, and another part stemmed from his own suspicions that their inexperience might be the entire point of their positions in the formation. He could see Lux giving cautious glances around, when she quickly turned her attention to the sky right as he sensed something coming from above. Following the direction of her gaze, he spotted something falling toward their group… make that someone.

“Incoming!” He called. His eyes tracked the figure in its out of control flight and it was heading toward--

“Sigurd, get down!” Leafa shouted.

Sigurd was about to turn and probably chide her when Harry slammed into him, sending him downward. Harry tried to move out of the way. Tried, and was dragged along with the apparent Spriggan into the woods to land with a crash about a hundred meters away.

##

Kirito groaned as he picked himself up off the ground and looked at who stopped his out of control flight. He was about to offer his apologies when he realized just who he had slammed into.

“Bloody hell,” The very familiar voice said. “What, just _what_ , caused me to do something so buggering stupid? It wasn’t Lux or one of the others, but it was _Sigurd,_ damn it. Him getting rammed by… just what was going through my…”

“Harry?” Kirito asked.

The other player stopped his muttering and looked at Kirito. “How do you-?” He began before pausing and giving him a narrow-eyed look. “A Spriggan in starter gear just happens to crash into us…”

Kirito just gave Harry a flat look. “If you’re trying to be funny, you’re failing worse than Klein’s attempts at getting a date.”

“How can you say that?” Harry asked in a mock affronted voice. “ _No one_ can fail worse than Klein trying to chat up a girl. Well, as far as we know. He was called the Bro, and he might have had a girl or two in the... nah, him actually having a girlfriend would have disrupted some cosmic order or something.”

“And give us one less thing to mock him for,” Kirito agreed.

“One less thing, of how many?” Harry asked. “Anyway, how did you end up here, Kirito? I heard from Leafa, that’s your sister’s avatar name here in ALO, that you were looking to start, but with you rolling a Spriggan, you should have ended up in Uruna, not all the way out here.”

“I was going in there when things got weird,” Kirito replied honestly. “Something happened and I ended up falling, everything went black, and when I could see, I was crashing into you. That, and Sugu was being supremely unhelpful in giving me advice.”

“Really?” Harry asked. “She was helpful for me.”

“What race did you roll?”

“Lux and I rolled Sylph, why?”

“Well, I hadn’t decided on a race then, and-”

“Just a second Kirito, sending a message to Lux,” Harry said. “I would ask for a Moshi Moshi, but I think we all called it, including your sister. I mean, a race that’s base color is black? That’s so you, Kirito.”

Kirito was about to retort before he paused and then conceded Harry’s point. They all knew him well enough that it made sense. After all, he _did_ pick the race based on the aesthetics, rather than what the race’s strengths and weaknesses were. Which, he probably should have looked at more closely, now that he thought about it.

He looked at Harry, who was staring at a message and then in the direction they both probably came from. “Harry?”

Harry closed the message and looked at him. “Kirito, I hate to do this, but I have something to take care of.” He said. “It looks like the group I’m with just ran into some trouble, or trouble decided to come to us.”

Kirito’s eyes sharpened. “What kind?” He asked.

“The PK kind,” Harry replied. “Death might not have the same consequences here, but…”

“What assistance do you need?”

##

The attack had come when they had been distracted by Hadrian getting Sigurd out of the way of the out of control flyer. Half of the group had been scattered while the rest had been forced into fighting against the Salamanders who had decided to focus on them. A well timed ambush, really, and something which showed that the Salamanders had been watching them for some time, if they could exploit an unexpected event like that.

Leafa would have been impressed, if she hadn’t been stuck in the middle of coordinating the small group that had managed to stay together in the chaotic fight that followed.

She watched as Lux cut an attacking Salamander in half before she cut the power to her wings, allowing a fireball to pass right over her and dropped to the ground. She really needed to find out how the girl could do that, sense an attack incoming. Was it simply experience, or was it something else?

_Think about that later,_ she thought as she parried a strike from a Salamander, countering with a riposte that forced him back. She kept the pressure on him and had him fading into a Remain Light in short order.

Taking a look around, she saw Recon trying to fend off two Salamanders and flew in to support him. Unfortunately, they already had killed the other two members of her little group, meaning that she was going to have to hope that Recon could keep it together enough to support her.

Combat was never his forte, but if he could get some space, support was something he was actually very good at. As well as various other esoteric skills that have come in handy in some surprising ways.

Not that he couldn’t afford to specialize a bit. Being a Jack of All Trades was good and all, but there were reasons very few players tried to be one.

##

Lux flipped herself and bent her knees as she landed on the ground, her eyes scanning the area before dodging another fireball. From the muffled cursing, the Salamanders that attacked the group hadn’t expected her to be able to react that quickly, hoping that the sounds of the fight would be able to mask them.

Unfortunately for them, they hadn’t factored in the fact that she wasn’t completely reliant on just her physical senses. She didn’t know if any ALO players had any real SA but if they did, chances were it wasn’t anywhere close to as developed as what a member of SAO’s Assault Team had. Understandable, as they hadn’t needed such, and any developed was based on a more casual level of play.

Casual by the standards of an SAO survivor, that is. She had no doubt that more than a few ALO players would be highly offended if she called their play casual. But there was a difference between someone who thought they were hardcore, and someone who had to _be_ hardcore in order to stay alive. And from the group of four Salamanders who were now making their way through the woods, with one hovering to keep overwatch, she was about to show them that difference.

“She came down around here, boss,” one of them said. “No signs of a Remain Light, so she’s probably still alive.”

“Keep an eye out, we saw how quickly she took down Shiratsu,” another, their probable leader, said. “Even if her gear is only a step above starter gear, she reacted far too quickly to be a simple newbie.”

“Not that Sigurd, of all people, would be taking newbies out on patrols,” another snarked. “Still, glad that one guy knocked him out of the sky because of that out of control Spriggan got sent flying off somewhere. That one gave me a bad feeling.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know how some SAO survivors have been making their way into ALO, like that one joker, Klein did a few days ago?” He asked. “I might be overthinking it, but he reacted very quickly to something that even we didn’t see coming or know was happening, as if he sensed it coming.”

_So Klein’s in ALO, and as a Salamander,_ she thought. _Well, that will make things difficult if they actually give him authority._ She opened a message and quickly shot one off to Harry. He might have to choose who to help, and she was confident that she could handle this group, but Leafa and Recon could use the help. The ones directly engaging them were supported from range, and she didn’t doubt that they had some heavy hitting close range fighters in reserve.

The apparent leader laughed. “Hah, doesn’t matter if he’s an SAO survivor,” he said. “He still needs to learn the game, and it doesn’t matter how good he was there, any one of us would eat him alive in a fight.”

_Oh I doubt that,_ she thought, keeping her eyes on them. _And I am about to prove why._

She knew she was at a disadvantage here. Outnumbered, and the other side most likely had someone who could throw magic out quickly, not to mention the gear disparity, and she was still getting used to ALO. It also wasn’t SAO, so there were still a few things that were tripping her up.

On the plus side, ALO wasn’t SAO. If she died, she wouldn’t, well, die in actuality. And neither would they. And that meant that she didn’t have to worry about that fact. Deal with the stat and progression penalty for dying in game, but that was far better than dying in actuality.

_Amazing how a little detail like that changes things_ , she thought as she tightened her grip on her sword and sprinted out, taking down one of the Salamanders and immediately closing with the other two before they could react.

##

Harry had decided that Kirito should back Lux up, since she had informed him that she was on the ground, which was beneficial for the Spriggan for now. At least until he could figure out flying, which would have to be addressed when all of this was taken care of.

He could hear the sounds of fighting and spellfire as he flew low, dodging tree branches to where he had seen the flashes of fireballs rise. He could faintly hear the sounds of chanting, but he was tracking them through his SA, rather than his physical senses, one advantage he had over veteran ALO players.

He wasn’t Kirito, whose sensitivity to the system made his SA almost precognitive, but his was good enough to track what people were doing and be able to generally sense what they were going to do. Experience and hard earned skills due to that experience made up the rest.

And magic, with how it worked in ALO, was like a beacon to his SA.

He saw a fireball lance up to the sky and easily tracked where it was coming from. He was close and those attacking his group were about to learn what happens when someone turns an ambush around on them.

##

Kagemune watched as the squad he was leading kept the pair of Sylphs busy with close in fighting and magic that was also forcing them to dodge and take their attention from their attackers as well. He had to admit, the girl was doing pretty good, while the shorty with her was proving to be just enough of a pain in the ass to those attacking her to keep the fight going.

And he was pulling it off with a flight controller in his left hand as well.

_To be fair to that kid, he’s keeping the spells quick and simple, aiming to harass, rather than go for a spell with a big punch,_ he thought idly. _Still, this is getting tiresome and Mitsui should have gotten a hold of Sigurd, the fool, and seen if he really was amenable to the plan_.

For all that many of the other races often snarked that the Salamanders were the most powerful faction simply due to numbers, that wasn’t completely the case. True, the number of players who decided on their race played a heavy role, but Mortimer, their faction leader, knew how to make use of information and had spent a great deal of time forming an information network that spread to all the cities.

Not as extensive as that one set up in SAO by that Argo girl, but her efforts had inspired him enough to add information gathering to his strategic thinking. Eugene was the muscle, the best fighter in the game, and a capable enough tactician, but it was Mortimer who made it so that their faction was the strongest.

And he had been working on suborning Sigurd for months when his displeasure on how Sakuya ran the Sylphs came to light. Doing so to a high level member of a faction would be a tremendous coup. Especially if the rumors of the Sylph and Cait Sith faction leaders negotiating the formation of an alliance had merit and they could disrupt that.

Not that such was really his bailiwick anyway. He joined for the fun of the game, and the combat was a thrill he enjoyed. He usually found himself leading squads in operations, true, but coordinating a dozen players or so was simple enough.

He’d had to ride herd on more men than that during his time in the JGSDF before a severe injury in training that required months to recover from and had led to him deciding to not continue his career put paid to that. Ah well, he had been iffy on doing so, and helping his family run their store was fulfilling enough at any rate.

He looked at the aerial battle and was about to order the remaining men with him to go up and take down the kid when one of his mages screamed in shock, followed by the familiar sound of a player becoming a Remain Light.


	6. Social Dynamics

Mystic Knight Online: All the World’s Made Strange

Chapter 6: Social Dynamics

**January 18, 2025 - Alfheim, Ancient Forest**

Kagemune stared in shock as the Sylph who was attacking his men tore through them like they were a bunch of newbies, rather than the experienced players and fighters they were. The ferocity of the player’s attack combined with the surprise of the low approach demonstrated a skill with flying and fighting that most players had to work at, especially at the speed of the attack.

_Three seconds, and he took down five of us,_ Kagemune thought, keeping his eye on the Sylph. Hitting them by surprise like that could account for how he was able to, but Kagemune knew well enough to know that it took a lot of speed and skill to pull an attack run like that off. And like many attack runs, the attacker still had to slow down and…

He lashed out with his blade, parrying a strike from the Sylph, who quickly backed off and darted to another one of his men, his squad’s last remaining caster, turning him into a Remain Light. To their credit, two of his remaining men, Kanemitsu and Reidt moved in to attack him simultaneously. To their discredit, he easily parried Reidt’s lance strike with his sword, and smacking him into the ground with the flat of the blade with an immediate riposte. The other lance strike was caught by the Sylph’s bare hand, stopping Kanemitsu cold.

“I should be disappointed at how unfair this fight is,” The Sylph said idly. “So, should I let you guys go and get some more of your friends? You know, make it at least seem like a fair fight? Or should I just finish things up right now?”

“Rather confident of you,” Kagemune replied. “Don’t think that you’re hot shit until the fight’s over.”

The Sylph shrugged. “I know better than to think I’m invincible,” he responded as he casually shoved tossed Kanemitsu into Reidt. “But this isn’t SAO, so the risks?” He then grinned. “Nowhere near as bad as they were in Aincrad.”

“So, you’re an SAO survivor,” Kagemune said, gesturing for the survivors of his men to stand down. “Good to know, and it explains a few things, like how someone who is not geared like a veteran can be so dangerous. Well, dying isn’t in my plans for the day, the penalty would set me back some in progressing my magic to nine hundred.” He looked at his men. “Let the others know to break off. Mitsui either accomplished his objective, or he didn’t.”

He saw the Sylph narrow his eyes, but the fact that he wasn’t making any further aggressive moves meant that regardless of his confidence in his skills, he wasn’t going to continue a fight if he didn’t need to. Smart of him, really.

Kagemune looked up and already saw those who were up there breaking contact with the pair of Sylphs, as well as those down with him moving to his position, giving the one who hit them a wide berth. The moment they were all behind him, he backed away, not taking his eyes off the Sylph when a thought struck him. He said he was an SAO survivor, and he might want to see which one he was, or at least claimed to be. That bit of intel could prove useful.

“By the way, what is your name?” He asked.

The Sylph seemed to think for a moment before meeting Kagemune’s eyes.

“Hadrian,” was all he said.

##

Sigurd listened to what the Salamander, Mitsui, was passing on and considered what it meant. Mortimer was promising to reward him for treachery, and it was an admittedly tempting offer. The use of the coming reincarnation system to make him a Salamander and not lose all the invested time he had was definitely worthwhile, on the surface. However, it was a promise that wasn’t being made face-to-face, but through a proxy, and not even one of his senior lieutenants.

ALO was a game which encouraged competition between the factions, making it difficult for more than two factions to work together as a coordinated whole, rather than on an individual player basis. Depending on the faction, that might, or might not be a problem. The rivalry between the Sylphs and the Salamanders were a case in point.

Not that such things were a concern for him right here and now.

He recognized the tactic Mitsui was using, trying to pressure him into definitively committing now, without giving him time to think it over, rather than letting him coordinate a meeting with someone else at a later time. One at his choice or discretion, after he gave it all due consideration.

“Right now is not a good time,” he said. “So I am afraid that I will have to hold off on accepting or declining the offer for now, tempting as it is. Perhaps at a later time.” His hand slowly went to the hilt of his sword. If Mitsui didn’t have people watching him in order to cut him down if the negotiations soured, then the Salamander was an overconfident fool.

“A shame,” Mitsui said. “You aren’t the only one Mortimer can make the offer to.”

“But I am the highest ranking one,” Sigurd said confidently. “Things are changing and are likely to be in flux soon. Best to see what comes of that first, I think.”

“Be that as it may be, the offer won’t stand forever,” Mitsui said.

“Then so be it,” Sigurd replied. “I can always reroll a new character if need be. It will be a nuisance to have to redo it all, but I still know enough to make working my way back to being an elite player a quicker process than it has been with this character.” His hand gripped the hilt of the sword. “I do have to say, however, this conversation is over. Two in my group have probably made short work of whomever had the misfortune of running into them, and you know that the others are more than capable. Depending on who survived, your little ambush has probably been countered by now.”

“So you’re not committing to a decision then, a shame,” Mitsui said and then looked past Sigurd.

_I thought so,_ Sigurd thought as he turned just in time to see a Salamander he didn’t notice come out of the trees. He wasn’t surprised that his conversation partner had backup on hand, he expected it. He already had his sword drawn and parried the first strike as others started coming out of the woodwork. He lasted twenty seconds before his health depleted, but he had managed to take three of them down in the process. Less than a minute later, the survivors from the ambush reached his Remain Light.

“Leafa, Recon” he heard as if from a distance. A consequence of being a Remain Light, no more. “Either of you have anything to revive him?” He knew that voice, Hadrian.

_I wonder how many he took down before any survivors did the smart thing and fled,_ He thought as he heard their confirmations and discussion on who would do it. _And just how badly we got mauled in the ambush._ He wasn’t surprised by Hadrian’s survival, and while there was no indication that Lux was present, he would not be surprised if she survived.

It didn’t take long for them to revive him and as he took stock of how much getting killed had penalized him, he also watched Hadrian turn to Leafa and Recon.

“The one who flew into me, and would have flown into Sigurd, that was Kirito,” Hadrian said. “It seems that some sort of glitch brought him here. You know anything about that, Leafa?”

Sigurd blinked. Hadrian knew that Spriggan? And a glitch? What was he talking about?”

Leafa groaned and shook her head. “It’s a known glitch that happens on occasion, and I think I know the reason for it,” she said. “He probably logged in with his Nerve Gear, and it uses different identifying markers and the system probably confused him for me. It was a problem during the beta that was largely patched, but has been known to happen when different systems were used to log in.”

Sigurd kept silent as he listened, continuing to check what the progression penalties were, as well as looking over his gear. He was glad that the penalties weren’t as bad as they usually were, but the damage to his gear meant that he was going to take a financial hit repairing it all that might take days to recoup.

So he listened as Hadrian discussed the idea of him and Lux keeping an eye on that Spriggan and escorting him to a neutral town, or sending a message to Lady Sakuya and getting permission to bring him to Swilvane for now.

“I would recommend taking him to a neutral town, Fallenia is the closest if I recall, and getting a teleport crystal,” he said, speaking up. “The ones you buy there are set to take a player to his home city, which is usually the faction capital unless they set their home city somewhere else.”

Hadrian looked at him and nodded. “And it would avoid any potential trouble,” he said.

Sigurd knew the unspoken implication of who might be the cause of that potential trouble. _Him being diplomatic, who knew?_ He thought.

“Anyway you two all this area better that I do, so can one of you get Lux and either give her directions to there, or provide escort?” Hadrian asked.

“And what about you?” Leafa asked, giving him an uncertain look.

“I’ll make sure Sigurd’s okay,” Hadrian said. “And don’t look at me like that, Leafa. We’re out here, not in Swilvane. Different situations, if you know what I mean.”

“How about both of you come along as well,” Leafa countered. “Lady Sakuya wanted me to keep an eye on both of you.”

“We could do that as well,” Hadrian said, shrugging off the implied suspicion that the two of them would start fighting if she wasn’t there to play peacemaker as if it was nothing.

##

Kirito stood by, leaning on a tree keeping a wary eye out for anyone that might approach from the ground. Harry had sent him to back Lux up, and he was glad to know that his Friends List had carried over. Lux hadn’t needed the help, and she had nearly taken his head off before he could explain that it was him and not some random Spriggan who thought she might be easy meat.

He had decided to go over his menu, to find his stats and skills had carried over. Well, with the exception of Dual Blades, they had carried over. She had warned him to empty his inventory after checking to see if anything did carry over, and he did. He since the information for the items in his inventory wasn’t there, simply keeping them there could potentially draw the attention of an attentive GM.

Though the fact that his stats and skill levels did carry over could be a concern, had he not been informed what Strea and Yui had told Lux and Harry.

_A reward for surviving SAO and deciding to brave a VRMMO again? Thanks CARDINAL_ , He thought with some sarcasm. He wasn’t entirely happy about that, given that part of the fun was building himself and learning what worked for a game. Despite the similarities, ALO wasn’t SAO, and what worked in one, wouldn’t always work in another. And he just knew that he was going to need time to acclimate to the game.

Still, the fact that he had this immediate advantage outside of what he could bring to the table may prove useful for the time being. The question of whether to reset his hard earned skills was something he could decide on later. But for now, especially since most of them applied here, he would take merciless advantage of what he had for the time being. _And it’s not like rebuilding myself would be that hard_. He thought as he continued to move toward where he could hear the sounds of fighting.

Harry and the others were liable to let things remain as is. Not because of laziness, as he had no doubt that if they were told by the GMs to reset, they would do so with little complaint, but because they had put so much work into skills that had kept them alive for two years, that having all that effort now be wasted would not sit well with them.

He understood that thinking, but he also knew that the GMs might, just might, take a dim view of that. Though if Strea and Yui had been here since SAO ended, it wasn’t as if their stats hadn’t been noticed, or that they might have figured out the reasons why.

He idly wondered what the devs and GMs thought about that.

**RECT HQ, Alfheim Online Department**

“I still don’t like the idea of letting the fact that SAO survivors are coming in with their SAO data and stats carrying over stand,” Shiro Kunikida said. He had taken over the administration of ALO after Sugou’s termination and arrest, adding it to his workload on top of the maintenance and attempts to break into the SAO servers.

But it also gave him something to get into when SAO had ended, or when he needed to take a moment to step back, or simply needed a break from SAO. He had been getting close to figuring out some way to send something in when SAO ended, too. Ah well. It wasn’t as if anyone working the project expected to manage it before the players cleared the game, meeting the criteria to have everyone trapped in there released.

"And I repeat-- hashing this out over and over when we seem to have little choice is pointless," Kouichirou replied calmly. “ALO was built using the same source code that SAO was, basically a copy of the entire system from the beta server, which means that their data is very compatible and we don’t know if Kayaba wasn’t looking in on that. For all we know, he may have intended this as a reward for those who survived SAO and decided to brave VRMMOs again.”

“I doubt it,” Kunikida replied. “Him keeping SAO functioning with as few problems as it had for two years meant that he had to be spending every moment he had, more really, when he wasn’t among the players as Heathcliff running it. Even with an advanced AI, it would have been too much for one program unless he had managed the impossible and created a true one.”

“That isn’t outside the realm of possibility, though,” Kouichirou noted. “The man was a genius, and the Shigemura Labs, where he was a research assistant at during his time at Touto, is engaged in AI research. I’ve read the reports about how well it began reacting to efforts to hack into it as time went on. But you’re right in the fact that creating a true bottom-up AI is something that is highly unlikely. If anything, the best he may have managed is a highly advanced top-down AI with incredibly effective learning heuristics. Close to how a human can learn, but not the same. It would still be limited by its programming, which still follows binary logic.” He nodded. “That sounds more reasonable and likely.”

Kunikida looked at the young man who was the CEO’s son. “And it’s times like this which make me wonder why you went into marketing, sir.” He said.

Kouichirou smirked. “Because making sure that promising products actually turn a profit is a greater challenge.” He said. “I have to work to make sure that our products sell, and that we have a good public reputation for quality.”

“Back onto the topic at hand though, sir,” Kunikida said. “How should we handle the SAO survivors coming into ALO with their stats from SAO?”

“Keep in mind, Mr. Kunikida, that every single one of those SAO survivors are just that, survivors,” Kouichirou replied. “They earned those skills, as those skills were what kept them alive. However, we are seeing only a relative handful of them coming to ALO, not enough to significantly tip the game balance. SAO has left its mark on them, and most are probably more inclined to not touch virtual reality anytime soon. Now, on the topic of ALO, how is the coming update progressing?”

“We can implement Yggdrasil City at any time,” Kunikida said. “As for the Grand Quest, we’ve finally managed to modify it from the unbeatable quest that Sugou intended. Given that even if a player or raid made it to the end point, they wouldn’t be able to bypass the final barrier by his design, the only thing left is to finish the scripting for the event to give those who complete the event the ability of unlimited flight. The relative difficulty of the quest hasn’t been changed otherwise, however.”

“So it will still be them facing a continuously renewing army of guardians, which will provide a soft time-limit on how long they will have then?” Kouichirou asked before nodding. “Good idea, change only what you need to, as having unlimited flight should be a reward for beating what had been impossible and is now merely incredibly difficult.”

Kunikida nodded. “We will still need to test it and make sure that everything is working before implementing it, but everything is in line for the update to be released next month.” He said. “And you’re dodging the question about what to do about how the SAO survivors are coming in with their SAO data intact.”

Kouichirou sighed. “We’ll take a wait and see approach for now,” he said. “If things become too unbalanced, we can easily change things by resetting their skills to a more appropriate level, though perhaps not resetting them back to baseline. Perhaps reducing their skill levels to five hundred? Even better, we can also entice them to completely reset their stats by choice, such as quicker progression to five hundred, a bonus to drops and yrd to that point, and so on. Some might do so anyway, simply for the challenge and to see if they can do a better build than what they had in SAO anyway. There are a lot of ways to handle it depending on how things go.”

**Alfheim, Fallenia**

Kirito picked himself up from the ground as he botched another landing, grimacing as he heard Lux’s giggles as he spat out the dirt that entered his mouth. Controlling his flight with the controller was simple enough in theory, but flight with the controller didn’t feel right and seemed to be fighting him, which was why landing was giving him trouble. He shot a look at Lux, who was hovering in the air with both her hands free, and wanted to know what the secret of flying without it was.

He could see Harry talking with an older Sylph, the two of them keeping their voices quiet, but he could see from Harry’s stance, expression, and various intangibles, that whatever they were talking about, he wasn’t happy.

Considering the ambush they went through, resulting in most of their numbers being killed, he could understand that. While it was okay to die in ALO, for an SAO survivor, having anyone die on their watch would be something seen as a personal failure. And dying itself is something that they will fight tooth and nail to avoid.

It would take time for that ever present fear to die down inside ALO among their numbers. SAO had left its mark, and even after it died down, it wasn’t going to be something that they would likely take to.

From one perspective, that was a good thing, as it meant that they wouldn’t take risks those without their experiences would. From a different perspective, it was a bad thing, because that same caution might also be the cause of their own failure in something, including dying in game.

On the other hand, he had seen the end of Lux’s encounter, and he had been surprised at just how viciously effective she could be in a fight due to the fact that the consequences weren’t so final in ALO. Was it due to the fact that dying in SAO was so final, both in the virtual world and the real one which was why she was so reserved in combat?

_Perhaps at first, it was,_ he thought. _She, all of us really, always had that fear there. But with others at your side, that fear also lessened due to having someone you could trust at your back._ And that was probably it, the lessening of that fear. It did not matter if it was the fear of dying, or the chance of ending someone’s life, either.

In the former, having someone you could trust at your back meant that you were more likely to get back to town and safety. In the case of the latter, having someone with you meant that you had someone who could hopefully keep you from doing something you wouldn’t wish on someone else.

_Of course, it didn’t always work that way,_ he thought. _Harry’s first kill in SAO was to save Silica, and all the other times he did was to protect others. There was self-defense there, but that wasn’t his primary reason for using lethal force. Just as it never was mine, or anyone of the others’_. Rain’s first kills were due to her fury and the poor bastards who died under her blade simply getting in between her and the target of that fury. Silica’s was due to her combat instincts triggering and her retaliating with a lethal counterattack. His was in the heat of battle while he was backing her and Harry up. Asuna and Lux did so to save someone’s life.

All of them were murderers. Ones who did so for all the right reasons, but that didn’t change the fact that they had all killed… _murdered_ at least one person. Harry and Rain had disagreed with that assessment, but that was due to how the cultures they were born in, and were influenced by, saw killing in those circumstances. They were acting in self-defense, or in defense of another, so it wouldn’t be murder in his eyes. A regrettable action that should never have happened, yes, but not murder.

That didn’t mean that either of them felt no guilt about what they did, they simply saw it differently.

_Enough of that,_ he thought to himself, shaking that line of thought out of his mind. What had happened, had happened and there was no way to change it.

“The best swordsman in SAO, and he is having trouble with flying” Leafa said from where she was hovering, shaking her head in mock sadness.

Kirito gave her a half-hearted glare as he got to his feet. “I would tell you to bite me, but I don’t know where that mouth’s been, sis,” he said.

“I’m nowhere near hungry enough to do that, and you’d probably taste like dirt anyway,” she snarked back.

“Ooh, she’s got sass, I approve,” he heard Harry say.

Kirito shot him an annoyed look. “To quote Rain, _khuy tebe,_ ” he said, butchering the pronunciation of the Russian words.

“First, you’d need to buy me dinner, and then you will have to deal with my wife wanting to watch,” Harry shot back. “Also, I don’t swing that way.”

Lux almost fell out of the air as she laughed at the confusion of the others. Gathering herself she looked at Leafa. “Leafa, why don’t you work out doing it without the controller with him?” She asked as she lowered herself to the ground, landing lightly on her feet.

Leafa looked at her for a moment. “Is this going to be like how you and Harry had trouble with the controller, but had better luck without?” She asked.

Lux shrugged. “Probably,” she said. “Harry theorized that it’s because the controller is both a crutch and a distraction for us and that going without it seems more natural. But I’ll be honest, I don’t know why, though Kirito might.”

“It’s probably because of our time in SAO,” Kirito said. “We’re more attuned to virtual reality because we lived in virtual reality for two years. To us, our bodies were our bodies, and the wings are a part of the body here, even if they’re not out when we’re on the ground.” He frowned. “And it doesn’t help that using the controller doesn’t feel right and seems to fight me.”

Leafa nodded, apparently knowing what her brother meant. “Yeah, I know what you mean,” she said. “Not the whole being attuned to VR, but how the controller doesn’t feel right. I’ve used it a bit even after I figured out how to fly without it, and you’re right about how it seems to fight you doing what seems more natural.”

“The controller forces things, rather than let you guide them then,” Kirito said with a nod. He then looked at Leafa. “So, Leafa, how do I do this without it?”

##

Sigurd saw Hadrian frown in consideration. He'd reluctantly shared what he knew of the ambush-- what he was willing to share.

As he had informed that Salamander Mitsui, things were changing. What had been the status quo a few weeks ago was bound to change. And it seemed as if the Salamanders hadn’t gotten the memo on that, since they were acting solely on information regarding his personality conflicts with his faction leader.

His disagreements with Lady Sakuya’s policies were hardly a secret. Neither was the fact that she kept him in his position simply because he was, in his own opinion, good at his job. He simply chafed at how she never seemed to properly capitalize on their strengthening position. There were so many opportunities that she had passed up.

Sakuya preferred to go about things differently. She didn’t push to strengthen their position more, focusing on consolidating what they did take. Her diplomatic efforts with the Cait Sith leader grated him. Her preference not to push further than she was confident that they could go made him twitchy.

He preferred action and doing something substantive.

And that frustration with his faction leader made him a prime candidate for the Salamanders to take the risk of trying to suborn him.

“Okay, so they approached you with an offer, but the negotiations for it fell through,” Hadrian said. “I don’t think you’re lying. Not telling me everything, but not telling me anything that’s false. "

Sigurd held back a wince. He should have expected that. He kept underestimating the boy.

"You also haven’t said anything about why, so let me see if I can figure it out given what you’ve told me so far. There’s the major update coming that I’ve been hearing the word about around Swilvane. I haven’t yet looked into it in detail, which I should, but I think it might have something to do with that.”

"Supposing you're right," Sigurd said, in as non-committal a tone as he could manage.

Hadrian shook his head. “If you took the offer, I would say you’re a fool for thinking that they would honor their side of the agreement, even if their faction leader is known for keeping his word.”

Sigurd blinked. “Why do you say that?” He asked.

“Because you betrayed your faction for it,” Hadrian said simply. “That shows him indirectly that you can't keep yours.”

Sigurd felt his eyes go wide.

Hadrian nodded and pressed on. “Following through on your end... you’ve already proven that you’re willing to turn on whatever side you’re on for something. If they did reward you, it would be a traitor’s reward. Not necessarily at the orders of-- Mortimer was it?”

Sigurd nodded.

“Not necessarily at his orders. He may imply, being subtle about it, “Hadrian explained. “Worse still, he might say nothing himself. He could just let his subordinates spread the word that it was you who betrayed your own faction-- again, nothing directly ordered by him, but it’s easy to say something that would imply that it’s what he wants. Or simply not say anything if they do it on their own initiative.”  
  
Sigurd sighed and nodded. “Indeed, that did come to mind,” he said. “And with how SAO players like yourself are starting to make your way into ALO, things are going to change, which is not going to be taken well for some. I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m not the only one they’re looking at approaching.”

“No, they would have other possibilities in mind,” Hadrian agreed. “But why inform me of this? We aren’t exactly known for getting along, you know, and nothing is stopping me of informing Lady Sakuya after this.”

_And if I were to be frank, that is not a bad thing,_ Sigurd thought.

That was followed by the thought. _Well, why stop now?_

“That’s precisely why I am informing you,” he said. “You won’t try to be diplomatic about it if you think something’s up, or I’m being a fool. As it stands, I… my disagreements with Lady Sakuya due to the fact that I don’t approve how she runs things are only a part of it. Over the months I’ve been playing, I am coming to realize that I may have not chosen the right faction to play.” And wasn’t that a painful admission to make?

Hadrian raised an eyebrow. “Oh?” He asked.

Sigurd shook his head. “It’s neither here, nor there,” he said. “But the offer they were giving… you’re right about it being tied with the upcoming 5.0 update. RECT has said that they’re thinking of implementing a Reincarnation System, allowing a player to change his or her race, so long as the faction leader for the race allows it. This means that they will keep their skills and development.”

Hadrian nodded. “I see,” he said, looking thoughtful. “So you wouldn’t have to redo your skills and build from scratch then. I can see how that might be attractive to some.”

Sigurd nodded before sighing. “Indeed, though doing all from scratch also has its own appeal,” he said. “Not making the same mistakes early on, for example. Not to mention, it might be fun to just be a regular player trying to grow stronger.”

“To play and not have the responsibility, you mean,” Hadrian said drily. “And if you are considering taking the Salamanders on their offer, then you _are_ being an idiot. As I said, they won’t trust you. ”

Hadrian then turned to look at the Spriggan, Kirito, who seemed to be getting the hang of flying, and without a controller, before turning his attention back to Sigurd. “So, you were approached with an offer and didn’t commit or outright decline. I still wonder why you’re informing me of this, your stated reasons notwithstanding. So I have to ask, what now?”

Sigurd sighed. “I don’t know,” he said honestly. “Informing Lady Sakuya about this should be the first priority.”

That it would disclose that he had at least considered betrayal wouldn’t look well on him, he knew. But it was better to come forth with it, rather than have it found out and be declared a renegade.

"I think you do know," Hadrian said, smirking. "It's also why you came to me with this."

Sigurd raised an eyebrow.

"Your gut is telling you the same thing mine's telling me. Think, Sigurd. Why now?"

Sigurd frowned, and then slapped his hands over his eyes. "The talks. Between Lady Sakuya and Lady Alicia. They're-- panicking."

Hadrian nodded. "Overplaying their hand-- your contact promised the moon, you should be asking why he's so intent on selling you so much hard to reach real estate.”

Sigurd shook his head at Hadrian. "Do you make a habit of thwarting expectations, sir?"

Hadrian met the slightly too formal tone with a stoic sort of calm. "It's how I've survived this long."

Sigurd shivered. That simple statement betrayed a depth of experience.

**Setagaya, Yuuki Household**

Asuna took a look at the booklet that came with Special Edition of ALO, along with the AmuSphere, that she managed to secure via her saved up allowance. She didn’t understand why they maintained it and basically handed her two years’ worth of allowance money when she got out of the hospital, but she wasn’t going to complain about it.

Not that she had spent much of that generous sum of money outside of drinks and snacks when she went out and about in Tokyo to meet with the others.

She turned her attention back to the booklet and considered what it was informing her about.

It wasn’t the kind of comprehensive work that Argo would release, giving information on quests, tips on improving one’s skills-- she had basically written the guide for advanced rapier use in SAO-- and other little bits of information that made going about SAO easier and slightly less dangerous for players. But it was good enough for her to see what each race had to offer.

It had taken a lot of talking and persuasion on her part to convince her mother to allow this. The two of them often had different priorities, especially as Asuna had no desire to let the social relationships she made in SAO lie fallow. She knew that Harry and Silica were the first two to head into ALO, if only to get into contact with Strea and Yui, but Hiyori and Nijika had come in as well. She didn’t know if Kazuto had already gone in, he had admitted that he was holding off on doing so at the request of his parents, but she expected that he would do so soon if he hadn’t already.

Well, she was going to go in today, if only to take a look around and, if needed, crack some skulls together. She had been informed by the others who had gone into ALO already about them having to prove that they weren’t taking the names they did to try and bank on the reputations of SAO players and that they were the real deal.

Now… which race should she choose? She had narrowed it down to two, but she didn’t know which one to go with. Should she go with the Sylphs, who seem to be speed oriented and would make for a good fit for her fighting style? Or should she go with the Undines, and give their group someone who could be a dedicated healer if a need for one arises?

Choices, choices.

**January 19, 2025 - Setagaya, Yuuki Household**

Kyouko watched as Asuna took a seat at the table for breakfast. “I was almost expecting you to be sleeping in, considering that I know you spent time playing that game,” she said.

“I didn’t play all that long,” Asuna said as she reached for her chopsticks. “Mostly created a character, saw the sights of the Undine capital city, Terun, and sent some messages to the others. Oh, and logging in and logging out, simply because I could.” She looked at what was in front of her, more along the lines of a traditional breakfast. She had eggs, rice, tsukemono, kobachi, nori and miso.

She decided to start on the eggs, done in a Western Style, and took a bite.

“I still don’t see why you wanted to do that,” Kyouko said. “After having been trapped in one game for two years, I would think you wouldn’t want to even think about virtual reality again.”

Asuna finished chewing and swallowed her bite. “You mean like most people?” She asked rhetorically before shrugging. “I am not most people, mother.”

The slightly formal tone actually made her mother wince, and Asuna chided herself. _She's just concerned._

"I'm like... a diver..." Asuna said, speaking before her mother could apologize, or rebuke her, or act just to _do_ something. "My first dive went bad, but I saw some wonderful things. And if I don't dive again... I feel like I'll lose something."

“Lose something?” Kyouko asked. “How?”

Asuna picked up her bowl of miso and sipped from it as she quickly thought about what to say. “It’s… hard to explain,” she said, putting her miso down. “In SAO, it didn’t matter where you came from, everyone started from the same position. Things like wealth, your place in society, things that matter out here... they did not matter there. In there, what mattered is what you did with yourself.”

“Even if it’s not real?”

Asuna’s answering smile to her mother’s question had both a sardonic and bitter edge to it. “Considering that we were fighting for our lives, or the lives of those who couldn’t bring themselves to fight, it was real enough for us,” she said. “I think that was part of why Kayaba did what he did, regardless of what his stated motives were. To blur the line between reality and fantasy.”

“And how well did he blur that line?” Kyouko asked.

“Well enough that we had to accept that SAO was, in a way, its own reality,” Asuna replied as she started on the tsukemono.


	7. Grinding Without Levels

**January 21, 2025 - Suginami, Nakano General Hospital**

Harry grunted as he slowly pulled down on the handle as instructed to by the physical therapist in order to lift the weight attached to the cord on the weight machine. While the point was to help with his muscle strength, it was also test and build the control and endurance he had, given that a good hefty pull would allow him to move the weight easily. But while that would be a good indication of strength in and of itself, it didn’t test or build muscle endurance and control.

Endurance versus strength, in other words. Most of the SAO survivors were able to do normal things for short periods of time within a couple of weeks, so long as they didn’t have to do those activities in a sustained manner. Standing up? Easy enough, even if the first few weeks often required them to use crutches to ensure that they _remained_ standing. Walking without assistance had been much harder.

It wasn’t because their bodies forgot how to. It was because even if they had the strength, something that came back surprisingly quickly for reasons he didn’t understand, their muscles lacked the endurance to do a repetitive activity that they had once taken for granted. Even now, after almost two months, he needed to take breaks and rest regularly if he had to walk more than a kilometer.

And that applied to more than walking.

He was recovering, and rather rapidly at that, according to his therapist. Not unusually so, but rapidly. He chalked it up to his wizard’s constitution, which allowed him to recover more quickly from things than most people even without magic.

Not that some magical means for helping with his recovery would be unappreciated.

He idly wondered how Keiko was doing. It was one of those rare days where their physical therapy sessions were scheduled closely enough that they were often going through them at the same time for much of their sessions.

As he finished the last set, his therapist, Doctor Nishimura then called out. “All right Mister Potter, you’re done with that,” he said. “Next up is working on your legs and building their endurance. You might not need crutches to get around anymore, but your endurance still isn’t where it needs to be. So, head over to the elliptical machine.”

Harry nodded and made his way over. As he set the resistance and began, he let his thoughts wander. _I should probably finish those letters up and see if there’s a way to get them to England quickly,_ he thought. _I know that Dumbledore is still in contact with the Shibas, using Fawkes to ferry correspondence, so it wouldn’t hurt to ask._

He would bring it up to Miss Hanaori, who was watching over him for the day, when he was done with his therapy session.

##

Keiko wearily pulled herself out of the shallow pool, the water streaming down her body. Whoever thought that water therapy was easy and not tiring at all didn’t know what they were talking about. When she was learning the basics of the family style out of family tradition, her grandparents would use a local public pool, or a nearby river during training trips, to have her practice katas in the water.

So she knew full well how tiring it could be.

“Excellent job Miss Ayano,” Doctor Hatsunami, the woman in charge of her therapy, said. “Your recovery is coming along nicely, and I can tell that you have been doing more than just the exercises I recommended to you between appointments.”

“Thank you, Doctor Hatsunami,” Keiko said as she reached for a towel and began to dry herself off. “So, what’s next on the agenda?”

“Just a few recommendations,” Doctor Hatsunami replied. “But we can wait for after you’ve take a shower and changed.”

Keiko nodded and made her way to the changing room.

Ten minutes later, she was seated in front of the therapist in her office. “So, you said you had some recommendations?” She asked.

Doctor Hatsunami nodded. “I do, Miss Ayano,” she said. “The results of your physical last week came in. Your weight gain has been proceeding apace, and from the tests done, your body fat percentage is at a healthy level, if still on the low side. Given how your muscle strength and control have increased faster than I expected, I can see how your body fat has remained at a level. I take it a high metabolism runs in your family?”

Keiko nodded. “It does, as does high muscle density,” she said. “I weighed fifty-five kilograms, but most who saw me would have though I weighed maybe forty to forty-five. When I was released from here, only to come in for checkups, therapy, and counseling, I weighed just over thirty kilograms.”

The doctor nodded. “And now you weigh thirty-nine kilos,” she said. “Eight kilograms gained in less than two months, while following a diet as recommended by Doctor Ono’s husband.”

Keiko smiled. “He’s been the family doctor for over forty years,” she said. “So he is well aware of what our nutritional needs tend to be. I’m not a martial artist like my grandparents and uncles, but I inherited the dense muscles and high metabolism that runs in my family. And despite his knowledge of more traditional and esoteric techniques, he gets results.”

Doctor Hatsunami nodded, humming in thought. “And has he used his own knowledge to assist in your recovery?” She asked.

Keiko shook her head. “No,” she replied. “This is less due to him being unable to, but because in this, I’m not his patient. He still gets the medical information, he’s the family doctor, after all. But I’m going through here, rather than through him for right now.”

The doctor nodded and then looked through some papers. “Well then, Miss Ayano,” she said. “As far as your therapy is going, your progress has been exemplary. Most patients would have needed quite some time longer to make the same recovery you have. In fact, of all the SAO patients under my care, you’re the most along and should be done with therapy in another month.

Keiko kept her thoughts about continuing the therapy from her face and merely smiled. The good doctor was just doing her job and wanted to make sure that she was recovered. In her own mind, she was recovered enough, but she wasn’t going to say that. Besides, once the therapy was done with, for her and Harry, her grandfather was going to start training them, and the others if he could get the permission from their families.

She’ll take it easy while she could.

**January 23, 2025 - Ottery St Catchpole, The Burrow**

Molly wiped her forehead as she stacked the last bag of flour into the pantry. She could have easily used magic to do it all, but there were times where doing it all by hand was simply more satisfying. That, and she needed to keep in shape. She might be on the stout side, but as more than a few ruffians had learned, that stoutness hid a lot of physical strength.

The benefits of having to raise and corral seven children, as well as taking care of the household. Magic could do a lot, but she had long since learned that doing some things by hand often did some things better the first time around, though it took a lot longer.

And if she were honest, outside of the standard household charms that she now had a lot of practice with, her other skills had otherwise gotten rusty. Though household charms could be used quite effectively with a little creativity, as she had managed to prove when Bill and later Charlie were still in their nappies. Travers and Yaxley tended to give her a wide berth the moment they noticed she was nearby even to this day, to say the least. The Carrows just vacated the area as quickly as they could manage. The aftermath of that little encounter had resulted in them being the cleanest in their lives.

She chuckled at that memory and looked the pantry over with a critical eye. Everything was in place and Arthur wouldn’t be home until the evening. She cast a quick _tempus_ and noted the time. She still had about two hours before she needed to start preparing dinner.

She heard the chime as an owl crossed the property’s mail wards and turned to where postal owls usually landed to drop off any mail. She blinked as she noticed that the owl was a very distinctive and familiar snowy owl, which was puzzling. The only reason Hedwig wasn’t with Harry after the situation he was in ended was due to him being in Japan where Snowy Owls weren’t native, and thus was not necessarily allowed to keep her with him there.

She walked over to Hedwig who gently set down the parcel she had been carrying onto the table and was now perched on the back of a chair.

“Hello dear,” she said, flicking her wand to bring a small bowl of water over to the owl. “I take it that you have a message for me?”

Hedwig barked an apparent affirmative as she bent down to drink some of the water.

“I see,” Molly said. “I am assuming that Harry had somehow managed to get a message from Japan. Perhaps using the means that Dumbledore does to exchange correspondence?”

She looked at the small parcel and cleared the area around it as a matter of course. Having six children, two of whom lived or worked overseas had gotten her into the practice of doing so in case any parcels sent were shrunken for ease of transport. Untying the string that was binding the parcel, she wasn’t surprised when it doubled in size.

_He probably got someone in Japan, maybe Sirius Black, or perhaps one of those watching over him, to do the charms,_ she thought. She knew that Ron had visited Harry in Japan for a few hours over the holidays, even without him sending a letter. Dumbledore had come by and made sure to ask for her and Arthur’s permission since he had gotten some clearance to bring a couple of Harry’s friends over for a brief visit. She almost tried to see if she could come along and see for herself, but with Bill and Charlie actually home for the holidays, she felt that it was best to spend some time with her two eldest sons.

She opened the parcel and saw a folded envelope held closed with a wax seal. Picking it up, she paused as she saw the Potter Family Crest pressed into the seal. She shook off the confusion she felt at seeing it and carefully cracked the seal. Pulling the enclosed letter out, noting that it was printed rather than hand-written, she began to read.

_Mrs. and Mr. Weasley,_

_I wasn’t sure who would receive this, so I covered the possibilities here, but I am assuming that you were the one to receive this, Mrs. Weasley. The Shibas let me use, as they like to joke, The Flaming Phoenix Mail Service. For some reason, I think that it amuses Fawkes to have them using him to ferry messages and such that way._

_I’m sending you all this because knowing Ron, he probably hadn’t let you know that he did see me. I apologize for not sending anything sooner, but with having to adjust being back in the real world, medical appointments, therapy, and simply getting used to not being in danger every day, it slipped my mind._

_That, and I am fairly confident in assuming that you won’t take my word for it when I say I am doing as well as I can without some visual proof._

Molly chuckled at that. His spending that time with them had shown her that he did need parental figures in his life, and he had clearly seen that both she and Arthur had been willing to fill that void for him as well as they could. Hopefully Sirius was doing so now.

_I have included some pictures showing that I am doing as well as I could. I also included some pictures of me from my time in SAO because, why not? You’ll also see some pictures of several of the friends I made there, including my fiancée._

_Fiancée?_ Molly thought. _What does he mean by…? Oh, of course._ So his marriage in that illusory world didn’t hold any standing out here. Unsurprising, given that both of them were, and still are, too young. Though how that translated into them being engaged until they were old enough to get married legally was beyond her.

_Yes, I am engaged. I don’t think I have to explain how my marriage in SAO doesn’t hold any legal status in the real world, and I do know that you have heard about that. I’ll just say that there was an unexpected, but not entirely unwelcome result in the real world from it. Don’t ask me for details, as I have no clue what really happened with that. It’s not one of those magical bond things that I heard about being in bad romances, though._

_Keiko’s family would have gutted me if it was, and that’s if they were feeling merciful. I’ve heard the stories about what’s happened to idiots who manage to anger them, and found out later that at least half of them are true. I may be a Gryffindor with all the bravery that might entail, but I’m not stupid or suicidal._

_Her family watched it in the real world through means that I don’t really know how to explain, but what went on in there was watched by the outside world. Well, most of it. There were some things that thankfully remained private. And no, I am not admitting to anything, nor will I deny them. Keiko and I refused to confirm or deny inside SAO, and we are happily continuing that habit out here in the real world._

Molly shook her head at that last line. She had a good idea of what was implied there. _Teenagers,_ she thought with some amusement before continuing to read the rest of the letter.

_Well, enough about only me. Why don’t I let you know about those I spent some time with in SAO? They were good people and are the main reason I am alive to write this._

Molly read on, looking at the words Harry put to paper, describing the group of individuals that he was with. Often praising, sometimes with snarky observations and anecdotes, especially with regards to a few he worked with or regularly associated with, but weren’t constant companions of his. They were the kinds of details that showed that he really knew them well.

When she finished, she looked into the parcel and began to take out and look at the pictures that were in it. The first one was of Harry, looking far too thin, but alive and healthy, holding the hand of a girl. The two of them were seated at a table, drinks and snacks in front of them, with several others. She could see that most of them were similarly thin and gaunt, and given what he had written, were his friends. The three others who were hale and hearty were noted by her. Family of some of them? Friends? She didn’t know, but she did note that they were relaxed and apparently having a good time.

She smiled as she went through the pictures, easily noting the ones which were clearly from within this SAO. She doubted that Harry would be wearing armor, or have a sword belted at his waist otherwise, let alone look so comfortable in doing so. The pictures of what was clearly his wedding there had her give a smile. That girl, Keiko, really did look radiant in her blue dress, while the other girls with her were also stunning in their own rights.

She never took the opportunity to see what was going on in there, unlike Arthur. Something like the gadgets that stemmed from this would be very much along the lines of his interests. And the entire thing, with Harry being trapped in it, meant that he wasn’t the only one who had shown interest. It as close to magic as the muggles had come.

She remembered something he once said, passed onto him by his predecessor. A paraphrased quote from some muggle, or perhaps a squib who had become successful in the muggle world. He admitted that it wasn’t a direct quote, but his interpretation of it.

A muggle technology that gets advanced enough might as well be magic for what it does.

She heard the flaring whoosh from the floo and glanced at the family clock, seeing that Arthur had arrived. She put down the pictures and went to welcome her husband home from work and thought that he might appreciate the fact that Harry had managed to send a message to them. Well, she did have to show him the pictures as well.

She knew his parents a little from their association with the Order, though she wasn’t one who was active save for ensuring that refreshments were provided when members came by. She was making sure that the children were being taken care of, and it did make sure that her husband and brothers didn’t worry about her.

**January 24, 2025 - Alfheim, Freelia**

Silica landed easily as she came back to the city, having gone out and gotten some combat practice with ALO’s magic system. Well, it was officially a patrol to search out Salamanders who might be watching the Freelia due to the fact that their awareness of the pending treaty was now known. But she used it to also practice using ALO’s magic and realized that while getting competent at it would serve her well, she doubted that being more than a dabbler at magic would be her thing.

Unsurprising, really. Her experiences in SAO shaped how she preferred to fight. Which didn’t mean that she would necessarily avoid using magic in this game, however.

She opened her menu and checked her messages, having not checked them earlier. She saw several from the others, including three from Strea and two from Yui. The former was probably spamming them with asking when they would finally come to Arun so they could all have fun, while Yui was probably sending in more messages begging them to finish up whatever was going on soon so they could sit on Strea before she managed to do something crazy out of boredom.

Yui’s concerns were valid, given that they had all heard about Strea’s reputation in ALO. The AI was always eager for a good scrap in SAO, and the fact that ALO didn’t have the same consequences meant that she could cut loose. That, and a bored Strea was something to be wary of.

None of them wanted a repeat of the incident where she decided to go with Kirito on one of his little fishing trips. Kirito wouldn’t go into detail about it, but apparently using mobs, ten meters of rope, and one of Harry’s crystals made for some exciting times that day.

She shook her head and then noticed a message from Alicia Rue, which she opened immediately. The fact that it wasn’t flagged as high priority would explain why she hadn’t noticed it when it came in, but that didn’t mean that it was necessarily unimportant, just not so important that she should drop everything.

She wondered what it was about as she opened it.

**Sorach, Sylph - Cait Sith Border**

Leafa looked at Hadrian from her side of the table, noting his keeping a careful eye on the door while managing to look like he wasn’t. Lux was sitting to his left and subtly watching the rest of the people inside the tavern, while Recon was… being Recon. He wasn’t even supposed to be with them on a simple mission to Freelia to deliver something by Sakuya, but had inserted himself into their group as they were leaving Swilvane.

She had tried to get rid of him, but Hadrian had pointed out that he was likely to follow them anyway, so might as well keep him around so they could keep their eyes on him. Not to mention keep him from getting himself, and perhaps them, killed. Recon protested that he did know what he was doing, which Leafa had to admit, he did know what he was doing.

Hadrian noted that the decision was hers due her being the one in charge, not to mention her recent promotion to command of the Sylph’s forces when Sigurd had resigned due to the Salamanders trying to capitalize on his dissatisfaction with how Lady Sakuya ran things and suborn him.

She had been flattered by not only Lady Sakuya putting her in the position, but that Sigurd had recommended that she be the one. She did wonder if it was only because she was well established in ALO and did have Lady Sakuya’s trust in a lot of things.

She glanced at the entrance to the tavern as the door swung open, admitting in a trio of Cait Sith players, two female and one male. Leafa immediately recognized Silica, the presence of a feathered dragon made it very clear who she was. Especially as it flew to Hadrian, who easily caught it and placed it on the table before giving it a few scratches. The others were two relative unknowns to her, but that meant little in the long run. She doubted that they knew who she or the rest of her party were outside of generalities.

Still, they had arrived, so it was time for some introductions and then the coordination of the escort to Freelia. She knew where it was and how to get there, but due to the diplomatic nature of her visiting, some courtesies had to be observed.

That and she could probably now force Recon to return to Swilvane. His presence hadn’t been planned for, and it was certainly not wanted for this.

**Freelia**

Alicia Rue watched as the diplomatic party from Swilvane arrived, her expression as carefully neutral as she was able to allow. Sakuya had said she was sending Leafa along with Hadrian and Lux to Freelia for this, and she had her own suspicions as to why outside of the fact that both of them were exceptional fighters in their own right.

Some would wonder why she and Sakuya were doing it this way, given that the two of them could easily do this through messaging, but she also knew that doing things this way would add a level of credence to how serious they were in making this alliance worked. For all that ALO had many of the modern conveniences of messaging for communications, it hadn’t taken long for everyone to agree that something done in hard copy, or the virtual world equivalent, made for something to be just that much more official.

That and it allowed for her and Sakuya to gauge the Salamander responses to this. Both of them suspected that their cities were being watched by Mortimer’s scouts, if not actually infiltrated on occasion by those who were willing to take the calculated risk of trying to sneak in, listen, and get the proverbial word on the street.

Well, that and maybe getting the info from anyone of either faction that they might have as contacts. She wasn’t going to assume that they didn’t have some in either Swilvane or Freelia. Whether suborned, simple friendships in the real world, or even simply having an alternate account, there were plenty of ways such could be done.

And with the increased harassment that the Salamanders were able to give the Sylphs due to the fact that their territories bordered each other, it was clear that they were indeed aware of the pending treaty. Even in Cait Sith Territory, Salamander activity had picked up slightly, but with the fact that Sylph Territory was between them limited their avenues of approach. They could take the shorter path and go through Sylph Territory, but the risk was much higher. Of course, they could simply decide to go through the Valley of Dragons to the Arun Plateau and then enter Cait Sith Territory via the Butterfly Valley.

As things stood, the actual ceremony to formalize the treaty was going to be problematic to work due to the fact that both she and Sakuya were now aware that the Salamanders knew of their plans. Their rather ham fisted attempt at suborning Sigurd a few days ago was obvious in such a light.

She turned her attention to the Sylph party that was approaching her, noting that both Hadrian and Lux were following Leafa, both one step behind and one step to her right and left respectively. She did note the other Sylph that had accompanied her, but the warning looks that both Hadrian and Lux shot the young man kept him from following them forward.

If she remembered correctly, he was Recon, who her own sources claimed was sweet on Leafa. His presence was unexpected, and from how Hadrian and Lux had kept him to the rear, was not only unplanned, but not entirely wanted. No matter, he was here now, and she still had to get this meeting underway.

“Welcome to Freelia,” she said to Leafa as she approached. “I take it that your journey here had no problems?”

Leafa nodded. “Outside of some mobs that were easily handled, there wasn’t a problem,” she replied. “We didn’t run into any Salamanders, at least.”

Alicia nodded. “That’s always good to hear,” she said. “With how things have been going, some were worried that they would try to keep as many of you in Swilvane as they can.”

“That would be too much trouble for not enough gain,” Hadrian said. “They would have to use more of their players than would be practical. For all that word of you and Lady Sakuya working on an alliance is worrying to them, trying to keep contact between factions would be harder than simply observing and watching our movements.”

“So you think your departure from Swilvane was watched?” Alicia asked, turning her attention to him.

“I am fairly sure they are watching Swilvane, and there were a few of times where I felt as if we were being watched as we made our way to Sorach,” Hadrian said. “I’m actually surprised that one or two of the possible groups of watchers didn’t try for an opportunistic ambush.”

Alicia nodded at that comment. “That would make sense,” she said. “Anyway, you were all sent here by Sakuya to pass on a formal message that we needed to send this way to make the formalities of the pending alliance work.” She looked at Leafa. “If you would?”

Leafa nodded and pulled a scroll out of her inventory. “Of course, Lady Alicia,” she said as she walked to the Cait Sith faction leader. “With Lady Sakuya’s regards.” She said as she handed it over.

**January 25, 2025 - Chiyoda, Nihon University Hospital**

“Miss Karatachi, could you explain what was going through your mind at that time?”

Nijika gave her psychological counselor a level look at that last question as she thought carefully about her answer. The fact that her counselor was an MD was telling and it showed just how seriously the government was taking the experiences and traumas many SAO survivors had experienced.

Outside of going over the generalities of her two years in SAO over the last several sessions, the enquiry into the details of certain actions had been surprisingly absent. Nijika wasn’t fooled for a moment. The purpose of going over everything in the most general of ways was for Doctor Sachie Ikuda to not only get a feel for her, but also to find out what specific incidents were not only the most memorable, but also the most traumatic and most likely to trigger the need for psychological help.

Not because of any assumptions of insanity of the part of the psychologist, but to lock down whether she was suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress, what coping mechanisms she might have developed, and if they were sufficient to help her cope.

“Doctor Ikuda, what had been going through my mind at that time wasn’t anything resembling rational,” she said. “I went in to back a friend, Silica, up in the chance of her and those she was with ran into Laughing Coffin. Had there not been one particular member of that group there, chances are that I would not been overly consumed by... rage is an appropriate term. But it would not have been guaranteed.”

“How so?” Came the question.

Nijika closed her eyes. “Of all of us, my first encounter with Reds resulted in someone who became a good friend in SAO being tortured and killed by them while I ran,” she said. “I ran because I was told by her to run, but it doesn’t change the fact that I did run. I survived that encounter where she didn’t. One of them, Johnny Black, was killed a few months later by Hadrian when he tried to do so to Silica. The other, Red-eyed XaXa, was the one who Silica and her companions ran into on that day.”

She took a deep breath. “Since then, I had a particular hatred for Reds, Laughing Coffin especially. It was something that the others knew about. Hadrian tried to talk me out of going with him and Kirito that day, as he knew full well that if Laughing Coffin was encountered, I was likely to go straight for their leader, especially if XaXa was there, risking not only myself, but the others. He was right in that, not that he said anything after it happened.

“So, we were trailing Silica and her companions when they ran into them. We weren’t that far behind, but far enough that our presence wouldn’t be noted by any Laughing Coffin members, so it took us a bit to get there. And when I saw that XaXa was there, I went straight for him with the full intent of killing him. Two of those with him were killed while he was able to hold out long enough to break free and get those who could to retreat.” She looked at her hands. “I… didn’t even notice, not really, the two that I killed. They were simply in the way, obstacles, and…” She looked at her hands. “In my rage, I killed two people, all for the purpose of going after one person. I won’t say it would have been easier to live with afterward had I managed to kill him. I seriously doubt it. I had some difficulty sleeping for the next few weeks due to the nightmares. And by the time I was getting back to sleeping, we went out and took Laughing Coffin down, with me adding even more nightmares to the list of ones that I still have from that fight.”

She looked at her hands. “I learned a harsh personal lesson that day. One that Hadrian especially hoped no one else among us would ever have to learn, not that the rest of us didn’t end up killing at least once when we did our push to take Laughing Coffin down.”

“And what was that lesson?” Doctor Ikuda asked.

“The lesson was that the act of killing is the easy part,” Nijika said, meeting her counselor’s eyes. “The hard part is living with yourself afterward. I wasn’t in a good place after that day, and the rest of us were in a bad place after Laughing Coffin was taken down.”

“All of you?”

Nijika nodded. “All of us,” she said firmly. “For all that he had the highest body count among the Non-Red Players, Hadrian never encouraged the use of lethal force and certainly didn’t like it when he did. He doesn’t go into details about his nightmares, but he had them, probably more often and worse than the rest of us.”

Doctor Ikuda nodded and then glanced at the time. “It seems as if our time’s up, Miss Karatachi,” she said. “We’ll meet again next week.”

Nijika nodded and stood up. Giving the counselor a bow, she walked out of the office.

##

Sachie Ikuda watched as Miss Karatachi left and nodded. While there hadn’t been any major indicators of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder showing up from the sessions as of yet, she could see the signs of some potential indicators that might lead to it in the future. Even without them, she could easily see that Miss Karatachi, like other SAO survivors, was still trying to cope with those experiences.

All in all, with them going over the generalities of her two years in SAO, and now going into details on specific incidents, it was beginning to seem that Miss Karatachi wasn’t one of the survivors who would need to be carefully watched and monitored to make sure that they didn’t pose a threat to themselves and others. At least when it came to coping with what happened.

Now that they were out could be a different story, and she noted that while her patient has stopped being hyper aware, she knew that it meant that the instincts that were necessary for survival simply weren’t at the forefront anymore. She had done time in America before coming back to Japan. She had experience in helping soldiers and veterans and had seen many a case of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and how it could manifest suddenly months, or even years, later.

At the same time, her experience with dealing with those from a very different culture than hers made it easier to talk with Miss Karatachi and not jump to the same conclusions that many of her peers would. Context was everything, and the fact that facing how a different culture saw things like killing, especially when it could be viewed as justified in their eyes, had forced her to recognize the biases she had.

She looked over her schedule for who would be her next appointment and saw that she didn’t have any for the next two hours, which meant that she could look over the profile developed for a girl who was expecting to come to Tokyo and be under her care in the next few months. Pulling it out, she saw the name, Shino Asada, and began to read it over.

Fifteen minutes later, she was mentally cursing the counselor who had been responsible for the girl. He had made the situation worse for her due to how condemnatory his condescending compassion toward his patient actually was. She knew the cultural biases that fueled it, understood them even, but her own experiences had shown her that such _wasn’t_ going to help!

She would have a lot of work ahead of her in helping the girl when she came under her care.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with this, I would like to wish you all a Happy New Year!


	8. What to Do When The Strange Land is Home

Mystic Knight Online: All The World’s Made Strange

Chapter 8: What to Do When The Strange Land is Home

**January 30, 2025 - Toshima, Kashiwazaka Residence**

Hiyori started awake, the nightmare already faded from her mind and she glanced at the time on her alarm clock. _Four-thirty in the morning,_ she thought wearily. _Why is it that the nightmares always wake me up too early to be good, but late enough to make going back to sleep not really worth trying?_

It was something that she had known for some time when it came to nightmares, though she was thankful that she didn’t recall this one. Probably based on one of those occasions where she had come too close to dying in SAO, or simply a nightmare of her still being trapped there, but without the support of the others. The lack of recollection meant that it was probably based on one of the more generalized memory rather than a more specific memory.

Those nightmares she tended to recall far too clearly for her liking, though she knew that she would have to deal with them as they came.

She got out of the bed and walked over to flip the light switch, knowing she wouldn’t be able to sleep now, so she might as well grab a book and read something until her parents woke up. She would have called one of the others, but waking them up if any of them were still asleep didn’t seem right.

Besides, she was going to be meeting them later anyway.

##

If she hadn’t been familiar with the tells, Motoko would have missed the signs that her daughter hadn’t slept well as she sat down at the table. The girl’s experience with little sleep from long days, or simply waking up due to nightmares meant that she didn’t show the normal signs of not getting a full night’s sleep. Her husband, Taisuke, also noticed, but a glance at him and a shake of her head kept him from saying anything.

The nightmares were a concern, though they weren’t nearly as prevalent as she said they had once been. Motoko didn’t need to ask about the specifics, given that she knew a few of the reasons for them. Actions taken in SAO that she shouldn’t have had to take, simply having a nightmare of still being trapped there, she knew enough to know that her daughter’s sleep will be occasionally troubled for some time.

But that was something that would take time. Hiyori noted that she was likely to have nightmares about specific things that happened there for the rest of her life, and had developed some means of coping. The regular counseling sessions were also helping, and the fact that the psychologists had not diagnosed her with any mental illnesses caused about by her experiences was reassuring.

“So Hiyori, what are your plans for the day?” Taisuke asked.

Hiyori looked up from the tea she was drinking. “I was planning to go to Nerima a little lunch time to meet up with the others,” she said. “All of us have clear schedules for today, so we all thought it would be a good idea to meet up in the real world. We could meet in Akiba like we did last time, but Asuna made a good point when she said we should at least meet up in different places.” She got a thoughtful expression on her face before looking at her father. “Unless you have something planned for later today, that plan is still on, but if you do have something planned, they’ll understand.”

Taisuke nodded. “Unfortunately, I am going to be busy with meetings all day,” he said. Motoko could hear the note of disappointment in his voice, as it was clear that he _did_ want to spend time with his daughter, and perhaps even meet the friends she made in SAO. Motoko had met many of them when they were all gathered to welcome in the New Year due to Keiko Ayano’s extended family providing an invite to all of those who had fought alongside her. Two of them had things scheduled with their own families and couldn’t make it, but none of them were remotely upset about that fact.

The only reason she and Hiyori had gone by was due to the need to maintain the schedule of Hiyori’s medical appointments and counseling sessions. They would have been in Aomori with the rest of the family otherwise, but it was a nice gesture by her friends. Hopefully, that schedule would lighten up soon so they could do so before the new school year came about and delaying it until school let out for summer break.

This way they could see for themselves that Hiyori was in reality psychologically fine. Or as fine as someone who had gone through the experiences she did could be.

**Nerima Station**

Harry sipped on the cup of hot tea he got from a nearby stall as he considered the likely arrival times for everyone. Given that most of them were in Tokyo proper, it shouldn’t be overly long, but the recent storm had made the roads a bit icy, so the buses might be a bit delayed. And that was if they just didn’t take the subway or commuter rail, though he certainly preferred not to.

Being shoved into one like a sardine in a can during the afternoon rush once was enough. He still didn’t like the crowds overly much, and navigating the subways virtually guaranteed him having to deal with those.

That, and he preferred to _see_ where he was going, even if it took longer. Keiko shared the sentiment, and he had no doubts that the rest were of the same mind as well. For Keiko, it had been that way before SAO as well-- a Saotome just preferred to feel or at least see the open air around them. Given how her grandfather loved taking to said air, it wasn't that much of a surprise.

Granted, he hadn’t seen her grandfather taking to the air, but he wasn’t going to discount the stories Keiko told him.

Even if having to deal with the issues of crowded trains was something the others had been resigned to beforehand, with how SAO had changed them, the trains were a less than ideal means of getting around the city for them. Busses, even when crowded, were tolerable, and both Harry and Keiko had learned the best times to avoid crowding there. Neither of them liked having someone to their backs, but a less crowded bus at least made it tolerable.

Besides the whole hyperawareness-- well, trains could feel... proscribed. Limited. A bus felt less like waiting for the teleporting to be finished, odd as it was. A train had a track, it followed one path and one path only. Like a teleport gate, point to point. No deviations, because it _couldn’t_ deviate. A bus had a _route_ it could deviate from if needed. It was semantics, manly-- but the book by that Ellis fellow Professor Dumbledore had suggested had made the point quite well. Semantics helped you frame things. He was working on changing his framing of trains, but for now buses were the better framework.

_And this is the human mind before magic's factored in,_ Harry mused, and had to chuckle to himself.

He spotted, more sensed, Keiko out the corner of his eye. With the crowds and her being Japanese, she blended in well-- but part of him was still tuned in to the others. Her most of all. It didn’t mean that he could pinpoint their exact location when they were all separate, let alone tell where they were, but the time they all spent working and fighting alongside each other to get out of SAO meant that they could always tell where each other was when they were together as a group.

He turned his attention to her, taking in her appearance as she approached. She was wearing a sweater and slacks with her hair unbound and falling to just below her shoulders.

“Sorry I’m late,” she said as she reached him. “I missed the bus from Furinkan to here and had to wait for it to get back. Glad that you didn’t miss your bus waiting for me.”

“You did send me a text telling me to go ahead and get here in case any of them arrived between when the bus would get back to our stop and then bring you here,” Harry said easily. “I know that Hiyori and Asuna are on their way since they sent me a text, and you said that Nijika had messaged you. Any word from Kazuto?”

Keiko nodded. “He’s on his way as well. His last message said he made it to Tokorozawa Station, and that he is taking the Seibu-Ikebukuro Line.” She pulled her phone from her pocket and checked the time. “That was about ten minutes ago, so he’ll be here in another ten minutes or so.”

Harry nodded and then looked toward the station. “Hiyori and Nijika just arrived, must have met up at Ikebukuro Station,” he said as he waved to get their attention. “How they can put up with the subway trains is beyond me, though.”

Keiko nodded in response.

##

Kazuto took in a deep breath as he exited the station, glad that the train ride was over and done with. If it wasn’t because taking trains or the subway was simply faster, he would have taken the bus and avoided the worst of the crowding. He looked around and easily spotted the others waiting nearby and made his way over. That he was the last to arrive wasn’t that much of a surprise. He came from Kawagoe, and taking the bus from the stop near his place to Tokorozawa station directly was actually faster than taking the train at this time, something that hadn’t changed during his time in SAO. The fact that he could also spend half the trip not having to put up with the crowding of the trains was also something to consider.

“Sorry about making you all wait,” he said as he reached them.

“It’s not a problem,” Harry said. “The others got here only a few minutes ago themselves. We still have fifteen minutes before the bus that will take us to the Furinkan District will arrive, so you’re not late. Keiko and I expected that we would have to wait for that bus, and there’s only two bus routes into there.”

“So few?” Asuna asked. “That’s unusual.”

Harry shrugged. “I only live there,” he said. “I wasn’t born and raised there, so I wouldn’t know how the place usually is. I’ve heard the stories, but haven’t seen how the place got its reputation… yet at least.”

“Don’t worry, it’ll pick up,” Keiko said. “And I wouldn’t be surprised if my grandfather and some family friends have done a bit to calm things down compared to how they usually are. And my family has some… interesting friends.”

Harry nodded and then glanced into the crowd before pulling his phone up and snapping a picture. “Keiko, we’re going to the Nekohanten for lunch, right?”

Keiko nodded.

“I’m sure I just saw Biyu in the crowd, though she’ll probably get there ahead of us anyway,” he said before smirking. “Think we should point that out to Elder Cologne?”

“You snapped a picture?” Keiko asked.

Harry brought up the picture and showed it to her. Keiko looked at it and nodded. “Yeah, that’s her, but she might have the day off and was headed to Akiba, rather than watching over us. What about those usually watching you?”

“Miss Hanaori waved at me when I noticed her, and I’m fairly sure I saw Mister Ikegami around, though in his case, he was probably headed back to Chiyoda. He was near someone preparing sushi from one of those mobile stalls, and I know I saw that guy before.”

The others gave them looks. “You two have people watching over you?” Asuna asked.

Harry nodded. “Of course we are,” he said. “Keiko’s family has some friends who are just as interested in keeping her safe until she finishes her recovery, in which case she can take care of herself.”

Asuna raised an eyebrow. “And she can’t now?” She asked.

“Don’t doubt she can, but you know how adults can be around us not so innocent kids,” Harry said.

Kazuto snorted at Harry’s turn of phrase and he could see the amusement in the others’ eyes. None of them were innocent, not after SAO. Seeing people die, choosing to fight and risk dying, and Laughing Coffin… what they went through made sure that what innocence they had was gone.

He saw Keiko check her phone and put it down. “Well, let’s head to where the bus will pick us up,” she said, standing up.

**Nerima, Nekohanten**

“So, you three haven’t been to Arun yet?” Nijika asked, looking at her friend as the group entered the restaurant.

Hiyori shrugged. “I don’t know how it is with Keiko, but Lady Sakuya, the Sylph faction leader, wants Harry and I to remain close by for now.”

“I heard that the Sylph and Cait Sith faction leaders are up to something, word has spread that whatever it is has the Salamanders in an uproar,” Asuna noted.

“We were asked not to disclose the reasons why,” Hiyori said. “Not because it’s going to remain secret for long, but because others can figure out the details if they knew what was already going on.”

Nijika nodded as she watched Keiko talk to the woman manning the front before with a laugh from the woman and a smile from Keiko, they were all guided to a table. She took in the place as they sat down and didn’t find anything particularly special about it. Just a normal neighborhood restaurant at first glance.

There were tables, a place for the wait staff to pick up the orders, the staff itself walking around with the orders being carried in… various… fashions. She blinked at the sight of one who seemed to have several bowls stacked on various joints and on top of her head, moving rather quickly and steadily to another table with no apparent concern.

That was new, and she could see everyone but Harry and Keiko looking at the staff in surprise and a little awe. The balance and muscle control needed for that was-

“Ah, Keiko, I see you brought friends along,” A woman said as she came to their table and placed several glasses of water, a kettle of tea, and teacups in front of them all.

Keiko looked at her and smiled. “Auntie Shampoo,” she said happily. “I didn’t expect you to be back in Japan so soon when you went back to your village last month.”

Shampoo chuckled. “I only went there to take a few of the girls home and pick up a few new ones so that they can get exposure to different cultures,” she said. “And also to get them some training in blending in, in unfamiliar surroundings.”

“And Tokyo would be plenty unfamiliar to them,” Keiko noted with some amusement. “The fact that you and Grandma Cologne have set up shop here and decided to live here has nothing to do with it, of course.” She looked at everyone. “Oh right, everyone, this is my great aunt, Shampoo Saotome. She’s the mother of my Uncle Ko, even if he does call her his big sister.”

“Before you ask, it’s a long story,” Shampoo said. “I’m a Saotome through adoption, and technically her grandfather’s daughter because of it. As for being Ko’s mother, it’s one of those complicated bits of honor that plagued Ranma, a lot of the old Wrecking Crew really, during our misspent youths.”

Nijika raised an eyebrow. “Complicated?” She asked. “And what matters of honor would lead to this?”

“The kind that wouldn’t be out of place in a shonen manga that doubles as a romantic comedy,” Shampoo said, smirking. “We even had someone who found out do a fictionalized account of it in a manga. She got our permission for it, of course.”

Asuna blinked. "Wait..." Her eyes went wide. "I... misspent afternoons as a youth suddenly take on a new meaning."

Everyone aside from Keiko, who was looking far too amused, looked at her and she looked at Shampoo, who smirked.

"I... actually preferred Yu Yu Hakushou, but I’ve read You-You ½," Asuna said, almost defensively. “I usually raided my brother’s manga collection, since a girl reading a shonen manga would have been out of place in my family, or its social class. But… you mean to tell me that Rumiko Takahashi did a fictionalized version of your youth?”

“Ah, Yu Yu Hakushou, a classic,” Shampoo said with a nod. “I liked reading it when I was in college. The characters got into situations that could be almost as interesting as the ones Ranma, Akane, I and others did.” She smirked. "Rumiko was my Japanese tutor when I finally decided to get past my 'you no take candle' phase. Hiding everything from her... lasted barely a week."

Harry blinked. “And how did you get her to keep quiet on just how true those accounts were, given that even here, certain statutes apply?” He asked, taking a moment to check if anyone was listening in.

Shampoo sighed. "Stop looking around, kid,” she said. “You're in Furinkan, we treat treading that line as the local pastime. And her work actually _helped_. After all, anyone that _does_ try to spill, someone will inevitably point out it sounds exactly like the plot to You-You ½.”

Harry got a thoughtful expression on his face as he considered her words and then nodded. “Hiding it in plain sight then,” he said. "... Makes me wonder if I could actually find a Wizard P.I. in the Chicago phone book." At the blank looks he got, he sighed. "Well, at least the Amazon Princess got it."

And indeed, Shampoo was chortling. "I can't tell if the world would be better or worse if that was the case,” she said. “Given what Harry Dresden often had to deal with, do you want all that to be true as well?”

Harry shook his head. “The Vampire Courts, the White Council, and other things in that series?” He asked. “Oh no, not at all. The Summer and Winter Courts _do_ exist, though, and they’re not the kind you want to go looking for, draw the attention of, or be making deals with if you don’t have to. Good research on the folklore behind them there, and from what I’ve been able to find out back at Hogwarts, fairly accurate as well.”

Kazuto blinked. "... We could ask Gus, if we really wanted to know."

"It's easy to forget who we _know_ now," Keiko admitted.

"Or that you came here to eat," Shampoo noted drily, pointing at the menus she had apparently handed out when they weren’t paying attention. She then grinned as she heard several stomachs rumble.

Nijika noticed that Kazuto, Asuna and Hiyori all looked embarrassed, and from the heat rising to her own face, she probably looked the same. Both Harry and Keiko simply shrugged it off.

"Keiko's been telling me to try your miso ramen with beef, and repeatedly reminding me that the fortune cookie is a North American thing," Harry said.

Shampoo nodded and wrote it down. “Miso ramen with beef for Keiko’s husband,” she said and then smirked as Asuna gave her a confused look. “Their engagement is a polite fiction due to their ages, they still often act as if they’re married and they’re still sporting their rings,” She gestured to their left hands and Nijika realized that she had missed that they were wearing them. “Well, outside of living together and doing some things that husbands and wives do.”

“Auntie!” Keiko protested, her face red.

Nijika noted that Harry’s face was also red as he shot the older woman a half-hearted glare. “I take it that they get teased about that often?” She asked.

Shampoo smirked. “One of the joys of family,” she said. “Is being able to tease other members about some things. Now, what would the rest of you like?”

They all blinked and looked at the menus before scrambling to order. Nijika looked hers over and decided to order a miso ramen with pork, while Keiko got the beef option as well. She saw Asuna and Hiyori order the vegetarian option and a quick look at it made Nijika’s eyes widen. It might, _might_ be lower calorie, than the meat options, but it also seemed to pack in as much nutrition and protein as its meatier cousins did.

Kazuto was still taking his time in figuring out what he wanted before Keiko huffed and told Shampoo to get him a pork ramen. She then asked for the usual side dishes which got a curious look from the rest.

“Trust me, you’ll like them,” Keiko said. “And we all still need to put some meat on our bones if the last time I stepped on a scale was any indication. Not that taking a look into a full body mirror didn’t tell me that much.”

“Oh, and what was your weight when you last checked?” Nijika asked.

“Just under forty kilos,” Keiko said. “I did grow a little while we were stuck in SAO, so I’m even more underweight than I should be.”

Asuna nodded. “I just passed forty-three last week myself,” she said. “My physical therapist wants me to get to fifty-five kilos, my weight before SAO, before she’s confident on taking me off the diet recommended by my nutritionist.”

“I think we all need to gain at least another five to ten kilos before the doctors stop worrying about our weights,” Nijika said. “And the fact that all us girls are actually talking about it being good to be _gaining_ weight… there has to be an irony there.”

“Not even going there,” Harry and Kazuto said.

Everyone at the table laughed. They then began to talk about other things, like how they often felt in dealing with their psychological counseling, the regular physical therapy sessions, and what they’ve been doing since they all last talked. A few minutes later, their food arrived, and they were treated to a show as it was tossed to Shampoo from the kitchen and caught or bounced off of her elbows and knees before being set down on the table without spilling a drop.

After that, it was time to eat. Nijika found the ramen to be quite good, and the sides ranged from ones that wouldn’t be out of place in Japan, to dishes which seemed to be inspired by many different cultures. Yes, there was the sort of dumplings served at Chinese style tea houses. But there was also spring rolls, and soybeans boiled and lightly salted, and small sausages wrapped in puff pastry. There was toasts topped with a mix of diced tomato and herbs. Small simple salads. Sweet potato fries. Perogies Canadien, which turned out to mean pan fried potato and cheese filled dumplings. And on, and on.

"This is a lot of food," Nijika noted at one point. “And I’m sure that more than a few of these don’t come from China, or Japan for that matter.”

Keiko snorted. "We all do need to put on some weight,” she said drily. “We get folks from all over here, whether they want to train with Grandpa or fight him. Either way, a number of them keep leaving something behind besides their fighting techniques. I just asked for the same amount they'd serve if Gramps, Uncle Ryoga and Uncle Gordon came in."

“From what I’ve heard Gordon likes, I doubt they serve cat here,” Harry said.

Keiko laughed. "Actually, it's not so much they wouldn't serve it, as that we don't have the livestock-- almost all cats are raised as pets here, and his first stay on Earth he had a bit of a..." Keiko paused. "Well, he got some kittens together to assert his Melmacian-ness, and couldn't do it."

“Wait, what?” Asuna said. “Melmacian? What are you talking about?”

"And should we be talking about this in public?" Harry asked. But when Nijika joined him in looking around, no one seemed to be paying them any particular mind.

Oddly, when Nijika tried to pay the other diners a bit more attention, what they were doing seemed to... slip off her brain. What was… she shrugged it off. It was probably magic at work for all she knew.

Keiko blinked, then sighed. "Well that just shows how comfortable I am around you guys, I was talking like you were Nerima natives. Well natives of this district of Nerima, but the point stands.”

Nijika thought about it for a moment, and she could see the others doing so as well when Shampoo’s comment about how the residents here treated certain bits of secrecy as the lines they routinely pushed as a local pastime before shrugging. "I guess... that's kind of flattering...?"

Asuna smiled briefly, then gave Keiko a near predatory look. "Melmacian?"

Kazuto sighed, smirking. "I tell people, no really, Asuna's the one that freaks me out and can give me a run for my money and they all go, no, that corporate princess--ow."

"Oh, was that your foot, Kazuto? So sorry," Asuna said, with a smile that fell just short of sincere.

“You stepped into that, Kazuto, you’re on your own,” Harry said before yelping as Asuna shot him one of her patented looks.

Asuna gave the same look to the others around the table. Nijika just held up her hands as if showing she wasn't coming to fight. The rest of the group seemed in agreement.

Then Asuna turned back to Keiko, eyes narrowing again.

"I know the guy who was officially our first contact alien," Keiko admitted as if saying she just happened to know the restaurant's owner, slurping some noodles up. "Harry, you going to eat that boiled egg?"

"Keiko, I truly love you, but touch my ramen toppings and I will not be able to control what my magic does," Harry returned in the same sweet tone.

“Save the foreplay for later you two, this is a restaurant, not a love hotel!” Came Shampoo’s voice from the other side of the restaurant, causing the two to flush crimson.

Nijika had to admit, the sight of Asuna utterly flummoxed never got old. Neither did the sight of Harry and Keiko both managing to say something and get called out for their “verbal foreplay”. Those reactions were always worth a laugh.

**Saotome-Tendo Dojo**

“And to conclude our tour of the inmate run, open world insane asylum that has been suspiciously well-behaved for the last few months that is the Furinkan District of Nerima, I now bring you to the place that was often ground zero for much of the madness of the last few decades. The One. The Only. The Saotome-Tendo Dojo,” Keiko said in the tone of a tour guide. “Otherwise known as the place where my grandparents live. By the way, do not feed the panda, he’s getting a bit fat and at his age needs to be on a proper diet.”

A panda wearing a gi rushed out the door and protested by holding up a sign saying. “You take that back!”

Keiko only smirked in response. Baiting her great grandfather like this was something of a family tradition.

“And now we see the rare creature called Panda-oyaji by me, my mother, my aunt, and my uncles,” Keiko added, pointing at the panda. “Otherwise known as my grandpa’s father, favorite punching bag, and source of his youthful woes, whenever he gets doused by cold water.”

“Surprised we didn’t meet him on New Year’s,” Harry said idly. “I mean, we saw your great grandmother, and I still find it hard to believe that she’s over seventy. Why, she looks like she’s maybe fifty, at most.”

“She’s still a beauty,” came the panda’s response. “And wise of you to say she’s treating age with the scorn it deserves.”

“Anyway, Panda-oyajii, where are grandma and grandpa?” Keiko asked.

“In the dojo,” came the response before the panda flipped the sign. “They said something about wanting to meet with your friends.” Another flip. “Akira and Ko are with them.”

“How did…?” Asuna began.

“No one knows,” Keiko said with a shrug. “”Feel free to try and figure it out though, though a few physicists and mathematicians had emotional breakdowns trying.”

She smirked as her friends shook the thought of something defying the laws of physics and mathematics as they understood out of their heads. After SAO, one would think that odd sights such as this wouldn’t faze them. Well, Harry wasn’t caught off guard by it and only gave a shrug.

##

Ranma stood next to his wife in the center of the dojo, watching as Keiko guided her friends in. He idly heard her inform them of the proper protocols to follow since it was clear to her that they weren’t in here as her grandparents, but as the Masters of the Dojo. He was pleased that all of them were barefoot and that all the girls were wearing slacks, but he wouldn’t have said much if they were wearing skirts. They weren’t students under him as of yet, and of all six, only Harry and Keiko were guaranteed to end up as such.

He watched as all of six bowed to the _shomen_ , the dojo’s “true face”. It that held the _kamiza,_ the small shinto shrine common in Japanese karate dojos -- even though Anything Goes was _not_ karate, the Saotome variant had its origins in it, while the Tendo variant had its origins in judo and jiujutsu. Then there was the _hata_ , the dojo’s flag which he had adopted more for modern convenience than disrespect toward tradition as the dojo’s sign was respectfully retired and stored away when he took over _._ Finally, there was the _dojo kun,_ or the dojo’s rules of conduct.

Of course, keeping all three there meant people entering need only bow once, which appealed to the part of him that was still an impatient, ever so slightly impulsive and hyper teen. Since all three were always kept there, only one bow was required. Sensible, really. Also it allowed him and his father an outlet for the arguments they would have anyway.

All six then turned and bowed to him and his wife, who returned the bow.

“Take a seat, all of you,” he said, indicating the mats in front of him and his wife. As they did, both he and Akane seated themselves and he gestured to Akira and Ko who came forward and placed a small table down and cups of tea in front of everyone before seating themselves. He noted that all but Harry and Keiko looked at how the Ko had produced the cups and kettle from apparently nowhere with surprised expressions which they quickly schooled.

_Not bad,_ he thought. _Most people tend to stare in shock when he uses that trick._ Mousse taught his youngest son well when Shampoo took him to her home village. Ko might not use it for carrying and hiding weapons, but the fact that it could be used for more than their original design was something that a Saotome would exploit.

“When Keiko mentioned that she invited the four of you to this part of Nerima, I told her I would like to meet you all,” he said as he took a sip of the tea. “Harry, of course, has already met me, and Hiyori and Nijika did so briefly during the New Year before I headed out in order to keep Pops and Mr. Tendo out of trouble. Of course, this is also for more than a simple meet and greet.”

“Considering that Keiko had informed us that you were meeting us under the aegis as a martial arts grandmaster, rather than as her grandfather, I am curious,” Asuna said calmly, not losing any of her poise.

Ranma nodded at the implied question behind that statement. She was wondering why, but wasn’t going to outright ask that in order to not be rude. It was easy for him to tell that in this regard, she was going to take the lead, the rest deferring to her in this regard. _And not surprising,_ he thought to himself. _With all six of them together, they fall into the roles and habits they held for over a year in SAO. Not that any one of them can’t take charge if a situation calls for it._

“Well, it is both simple and difficult,” he said. “Allow me to explain. For two years, all six of you have been fighting for your lives on a nearly daily basis. Whether that was from the start or it taking a bit of time before you decided to fight rather than wait for rescue is not important. You all made that choice and accepted the potential consequences of it.

“What I think some don’t realize, however, is how that has changed you.” He shook his head. “They recognize that you changed, but I don’t think they fully understand just what those changes mean.”

Asuna raised an eyebrow as she took a sip from her tea. “And what do you think those changes mean?” She asked.

Ranma took a moment to gather his thoughts. “That acceptance of the consequences,” he said. “The choosing to go out and fight, despite the knowledge that it might mean that not everything you fought would be something devised by the system, and what that could mean. All of you accepted it in some part, even before circumstances forced you to confront some of those consequences on a personal level.”

All of them remained quiet and Ranma could see that each of them had clearly heard the unspoken words within his statements. The flinches and narrowed eyes said as much.

“Grandpa--” Keiko began before pausing as he raised his hand.

“I am not condemning any of you,” he said. “Doing so would be hypocritical of me, considering some of the choices I made, some of the actions I’ve taken. I already know that none of you see those particular actions as praiseworthy, a good thing. But we are getting away from the purpose of this meeting.”

“Then what is the purpose of this meeting?” Kazuto asked.

Ranma picked up his cup and took another sip of his tea. “The purpose of this meeting, on top of proper introductions, is for me to extend you all an offer,” he said. “Once you are finished with your recovery and therapy, I would like to train you. Not just fighting, but in also helping you get your instincts under control. Meditation, focus, skills like that. Another master I know, an American Shaolin Monk name Cain, called it learning to walk despite the weight of your shoes. His son put it more succinctly: life's fucked up, but you don't have to be. As it is, you’re all doing as well as you can, but I take it that getting here was a bit stressful, wasn’t it?”

“Then, why would…?” Hiyori began before pausing and getting a thoughtful expression on her face. “No, you did mention it. Our instincts are still there and we have issues getting around when we leave our homes. It’s not so bad that we’re becoming hikikomori. Well, I can’t say anything about Kazuto, but he was well on his way to that before SAO from what he’s said.”

“Hey!” Kazuto protested.

Ranma gave a small smile when they all laughed, reassured. If they could still laugh and make jokes at each other’s expense, then they would be fine.

“Now, this is for _after_ you finish your recovery,” he said. “And I will need to get permission from your parents anyway. Well, not Harry’s, but that’s because I already got the permission from his guardian. But again, this is as much to teach you some combat skills, as it is to help you all keep yourselves centered. Of course, your schooling will have to be maintained, as will good grades.” His eyes flashed a bit of amusement. “Keiko can tell you how I feel about that.”

“Which is very different than how you were when you were their age,” Akane said drily. “That you managed to graduate high school on time still surprised a number of people, though it took three years for you to pass your college entrance exams.”

“I have a question,” Nijika said. “Why are you making this offer to us before discussing the matter with our parents?”

“Because despite your ages, you aren’t children,” Ranma said simply. “Not anymore. Our school's founder and original grand master--"

"--the old pervert--" Akane, Akira and Ko joined him in saying without missing a beat.

"--said that age is a number that gives a rough guide, not an absolute. Only a person's story reveals their true maturity... and it is rarely a unified level."

"He'd know," Akane muttered just loudly enough.

“Now, now, mom, don’t speak ill of the dead,” Ko said. “At least, don’t do so without something handy to banish their spirit back across the Sanzu River.”

"He only did that once, and it was a mistake," Ranma said, enjoying how heads snapped to Keiko and Harry to affirm that no, they did not know if the elders were kidding.

“Not going to say it’s impossible,” Harry said. “Not after some of the things I’ve seen and dealt with.”

“And it’s hard enough to tell when they’re pulling our legs, considering that this isn’t even the _oddest_ story they have, and some of the odder ones are true,” Keiko added.

Ranma smirked. “Well, truth can often be stranger than fiction, especially when your life wouldn’t be out of place in a manga,” he said as he looked at them. “So, what do you think about my offer to train you?”


	9. Of Accords and Discord

**January 30, 2025 - Nerima, Saotome - Tendo Dojo**

Harry glanced at Keiko as the offer was made to the others. The two of them already knew that they were going to be training under the grandmaster. In their case, it felt less like a choice they were making than Ranma saying, "Please, let me give you this to help you." Turning the offer down had more the feel of rejecting a gift the giver truly thought was needed. And Harry could see no good reason to turn the gift down. It was Keiko's inheritance, and Ranma wanted her husband to share it.

For the others, however, the choice was actually whether they would accept the offer, though it would then have to be pitched and sold to their families. This wasn't a matter of legacy for them, it was something that had to be chewed over, discussed-- whether as something they needed to pitch to their family to get what they wanted, or something they wanted their parents and nears and dears to offer an opinion on.

He could guess which of his friends would end up in each situation, but held himself back-- while Flitwick had sold it as good practice when approaching a new charm, Harry found that assuming did indeed make an arse out of you and me.

He glanced at everyone and wondered what was going through their minds before shaking that musing out of his head. What they were thinking was what they were thinking, but perhaps he could do something to allow them to make a properly informed decision.

“Grandmaster,” he said. “I know that Keiko and I are going to be going through the training, if only because it's Keiko's family heritage, and I want to be a part of this family. But what about the others?”

“I’m surprised that you’re not asking for details on what would be a part of the training,” Ranma said.

“Oh, I am curious about that,” Harry said. “But I’m more curious as to why, really. The meditation and focus training I can understand. Developing methods to keep ourselves centered is definitely necessary, given that we’re still wired to be looking for threats whenever we leave a place that we explicitly know is safe. It’s instinctive for us now.”

“Those instincts are why I want to train you,” Ranma said. “You, all of you, are survivors and all that entails. Your instincts are still focused toward survival and will be for some time. They may not be as prevalent as they were when you were first released from your hospitals, but they’re still there. I know how Keiko was when she got out. That leads me to bet things that you all once had no problem dealing with before SAO are now a bit harder to deal with.”

“The crowds can be a bit of a bother at times,” Harry admitted.

“And I know that none of us are fond of taking the subways or commuter rail,” Keiko added. “The buses are tolerable, but that’s more because they give the illusion of being more open.”

“Well, that and the fact that we can often enough get to the back and put something to our own backs,” Harry said. “But that’s something that we’re having to manage on our own.” He shrugged. “It’s easier some days than others.”

“But I don’t want to feel this way for the rest of my life.” Kazuto pointed out, “I’m sure none of us do. And managing our problems is all we are doing at the best of times.” He bit his lip as he thought about how to say what he wanted to say best. “I… I think I’m going to do it. Ranma-sensei is offering us a way to fix the problems we are having. And, yes Asuna, I know that ‘fixing the problem’ might not be the right way to put it, but I can’t think of a better way to say it.” He crossed his arms over his chest.

Harry nodded and looked to everyone else, taking in their considering looks. Kazuto had a point when he stated that simply managing the difficulties they were having in readjusting to the world wasn’t enough. It was a start, nothing more.

Grandmaster Saotome had not promised any miracles, or even guaranteed results. The older man did not state that what he would be training them in would suddenly solve everything and fix their problems.

The training would give them tools to help themselves sort out their issues. Focus and meditation were some of the things that would be taught to them, and Harry could see the benefits. Of course, it wasn’t just focus and meditation; there was going to be a lot of exercise, martial arts instruction, and more.

With them all soon to be going to school, his receiving tutoring in magic, and now this, he was going to be one busy wizard in a few months.

**February 1, 2025 - Alfheim, Swilvane**

Sakuya looked over the plans for the meeting she and Alicia would be having in order to finalize the treaty negotiations. They had initially wanted to do it in the Butterfly Valley, but with how the Salamanders had been pushing with things, they had decided on a change of venue for it. Sorach wasn’t as scenic as the Butterfly Valley was, but it was both close, and located right on the border between the two territories.

In many ways, that worked better for their purposes than what had initially been planned. That it was also on the opposite side of Sylph Territory from the Salamanders was a rather nice bonus.

Since Sigurd’s resignation, she had been playing things closer to the chest than was normal for her. Sigurd wouldn’t have been the only one approached, and she could think of three other Sylphs right off the top of her head who could easily turn on the faction as a whole for something that was a remote promise, at best.

They had pushed too hard and fast with Sigurd, which did a great deal to make him reconsider things. Even then, she had no doubt that he had given it serious thought before ultimately deciding not to accept the Salamander's offer for reasons of his own. He had resigned from his position as commander of the Sylph Military shortly after, forcing her to talk Leafa into accepting the job.

But things were now ready for the treaty to go through. A few messages to send before she could take her planned party and the required escorts to Sorach. She even knew who she would bring, even if the presence of two of them would be considered unusual due to how new to ALO they were.

However, she knew how skilled they actually were and she wanted them on hand in case the Salamanders did get tipped off about the meeting. And if Sigurd thought that resigning his position meant that she wouldn’t call on him on occasion, he was about to be surprised.

##

“All right, you’re doing fine mom!” Lux called out to Shirin, who was flying slowly with the controller gripped tightly in her left hand. “Don’t worry about doing it quickly and concentrate on control.”

“Easy for you to say,” Shirin called back. “You got the hang of flying, and without the controller, so quickly.”

“I did spend some time practicing when you weren’t logged on, you know,” Lux returned as she smoothly brought herself next to her mother. “Crashed more than a few times, though I haven’t gotten nicely acquainted with a wall, or a wandering Gnome the way Harry did.”

Shirin snorted and shook her head, clearly remembering that incident. A moment later, she struggled to bring herself back under control, only to have Lux gently touch her shoulder. She gave a gesture toward the ground, and Shirin nodded. Lux gently guided her mother down to the ground and as soon as the older woman landed, she stumbled slightly but remained standing. Lux easily led her into a local tavern and the two sat down.

“That… I can see why so many players like it once they get the hang of it, but having to maintain awareness of the controller is…” Shirin began.

“Distracting?” Lux asked. “When I tried using it, the controller seemed to fight me the entire time. Trying to fly without it, while harder, just felt more natural.”

“So why are you starting me on the controller?” Shirin asked.

“Because you don’t have the same sensitivity and awareness of your virtual body that I do,” Lux said. “Though to be honest, considering what I went through to get to this point, it’s hard to figure out if it was worth it. I mean, it’s a big reason why I survived SAO, but there were… many close calls.”

She looked at her mother, seeing how the Sylph that was the woman’s avatar give her a curious look. “Close calls, Hiyo- Lux?” Shirin enquired, correcting herself and using the avatar name.

“Well, while I rarely went into the red, it did happen on occasion,” Lux said. “That always counts as a close call, even when it’s only just in the red.” She looked around and saw that the few players inside weren’t paying any attention to them. “Due to that, and the work I did to keep it from happening as much as I could, I have instincts for how things in the virtual world work. We called it ‘System Awareness’. It was a combination of combat instincts and simple sensitivity to the… rhythms of the virtual world.”  
  
“Really?” Shirin asked as she flagged down an NPC waitress and ordered a Moonberry Wine.

“That’s the best way to explain it that any of us came up with,” Lux said, also ordering a goblet of wine for herself. “And had all that went with our instincts stayed in the virtual world, none of us would be having the occasional difficulties with navigating the real world that we sometimes do. Never mind that I'm hypersensitive to things here that I don't need to be-- I'm far more focused on managing my HP than the typical player, because my mind just-- doesn't totally trust the Remain Light mechanic.”

Shirin nodded and Lux was glad that she didn’t have to explain it further. Her mother was well aware of how SAO had affected her. In ALO, it wasn’t much, just the normal fear of dying, despite dying not having the same end result that SAO did. It was mostly her learning a new game, and basically allowing for her to spend a little bit of time in an environment that was comforting in its familiarity. A familiarity that the real world now lacked, which had the effect of making her more anxious, more wary, and more fearful, despite the fact that it was by far safer than SAO had ever been. But that was the price of survival. Innocence shattered, instincts heightened, and other things to have to learn how to deal with.

Things that, a couple of days ago, Silica’s own grandfather offered to train them in order to give them a measure of control over themselves. “Mom,” she began. “You remember how I went to Nerima a couple of days ago?”

“Well, yes,” Shirin said. “Why? Did something happen?”

“In a way,” Lux said. “We all went to the Saotome-Tendo Dojo, that place we visited over the New Year. Well, this wasn’t quite a meet and greet this time, as we were visiting Keiko’s grandparents in their capacities as the Masters of the Dojo.”

Shirin blinked. “Why would you be meeting them in that capacity?” She asked.

“Because her grandfather wanted to make an offer to us,” Lux said. “He is well aware of how we all are, at least with regard to our instincts and how they’re often causing us difficulties. So, he offered to train us so that we can bring them under proper control. None of us outright refused, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he makes some arrangements to meet with you and dad to get your permission.”

Lux watched as her mother got a thoughtful expression on her face when she saw a message icon come up in her HUD. She opened her menu and went to the messenger option and blinked. _What would Lady Sakuya want to send me?_ She thought.

“Mom, I just got a message from Lady Sakuya,” she said as she opened the message. She saw that she wasn’t the only one addressed in the message and gave it a quick read. “So, they’re finally going forward with it,” she said as she closed the message. Turning to Shirin, she gave her mother an apologetic look. “Mom, it seems as if something that has been in the works for a couple of weeks is finally going forward, and Lady Sakuya wants both Harry and myself to accompany her.”

“Why would she want the two of you to accompany her?” Shirin asked.

“In all likelihood, for the two of us to help with providing security,” Lux replied. “With what is being planned, she is likely expecting that the Salamanders will be trying to disrupt it.”

“Umm, dear, what is going on that would require you to help with providing security?” Shirin asked. “And why are you being requested specifically?”

Lux shrugged. “Well, the fact that my skill in fighting is known to Lady Sakuya, not to mention my reputation from SAO, I can think of a few reasons,” she said. “And with her having also addressed the message to Harry, she wants him around for similar reasons.”

“So, she’s going to capitalize on the fact that you two are SAO survivors,” Shirin said with a note of disapproval. “She intends to use the reputations you built there to serve as a way of intimidating anyone who comes to disrupt… what is it again?”

“Mom, why don’t you just come with me,” Lux said. “I can’t tell you what it’s all about out here anyway, Lady Sakuya wanted things kept quiet for the time being, but we’re all going to meet at the _Fundarsal_ ,” she stumbled over the unfamiliar world. It was a Meeting Hall, but the setting made its demands. “Whose bright idea was it to use that language for more than the magic system here?” She complained as she finished her wine and stood up.

**Cait Sith Territory, Skies Above the Leiðarljós Road**

Silica kept her eyes open, scanning the ground and the horizon for any signs of hostiles. Outside of the occasional mob, she didn’t see any other players outside of the group that was with her as they flew an escort pattern around the central party that had Alicia Rue in it.

Not that she was anticipating any potential trouble. The Salamanders were more likely to go after the Sylph delegation due to the fact that they were closer and easier to go after, but that didn’t mean that they couldn’t attack her group. After all, she had heard enough about the pair of brothers who managed the Salamanders to understand that they were far from stupid.

Both she and Sakuya were going through with their plans for an alliance, only modifying the plan to reflect the fact that the Salamanders were aware of it. She approved of the fact that the two of them weren’t going to put their plans on hold simply because someone else was getting pissy. She also knew that they could have easily waited for a bit to let things die down while still doing negotiations on the sly.

She shook that line of thought out of her head. She wasn’t anyone in charge and she shouldn’t concern herself overly much. She understood the generalities of player politics, and could make some educated guesses onto why the Sylphs and Cait Siths would be working toward this, but the reasons for the alliance were something she didn’t try to think over.

She had decided to play ALO as much to have fun with everyone without all of them having to coordinate schedules so they could meet up. And that didn’t take into account the two AIs that were also part of their group and couldn’t interact with them in the real world. Well, not yet at least. Who knew what new technologies were in the works?

Something she might want to ask her great aunt, Nabiki, about when she next met up with her. Pina’s chirping cry caught her attention and she turned to the feathered dragon. She recognized that particular cry as Pina calling out that she either saw or smelled something that was out of place. She tracked where Pina’s gaze was and loosened her dagger in its sheath as she saw some slight movement as a feeling of being watched suddenly came to her awareness.

“Silica?” One of her party members for the escort detail asked. “You saw something?”

“We’re being watched, keep an eye open for a possible ambush,” she said.

“What, where?” Came the question.

The flickers of movement disappeared into the trees and the feeling began to fade a bit, but did not disappear. “In the forest we’re flying over,” she said, keeping her statements terse. “About one to two hundred meters to our left.”

“Salamanders?”

“Not sure,” Silica admitted. “Didn’t get a good look. Inform Lady Alicia just in case.” She kept her words brief and terse, her eyes still scanning the area she thought she saw that movement. If she was a scout or someone who was planning an ambush… she would… there!

She cut magic to her wings and dropped toward the ground right as several fireballs flew up from the trees. _Got you,_ she thought viciously as she flexed her back and brought her wings back out and darted into the trees.

##

Alicia Rue easily dodged the fireballs when they shot up toward her. The fact that Silica spotted the ambush in time to send some warning justified her bringing the young woman along, not that she wasn’t already anticipating an ambush. The scouting patrol she sent ahead of the main group hadn’t reported back, meaning that they were probably dead and waiting to for their remain lights to disperse.

She watched as Silica’s wings faded and she dropped like a rock toward the ground, easily avoiding the fireballs that had been sent her way before manifesting her wings and going into the trees. Alicia was about to follow when she saw a group of about ten Salamanders come up from where they were hiding.

She saw a few more volleys of fireballs come toward the sky when she noted that the number of them being sent into the air was already being reduced, showing that Silica already had that matter in hand.

Alicia instead made sure that the clawed gauntlets she favored in melee were secure and grinned as she met the first Salamander to get close to her with her fists.

##

Kagemune mentally cursed Mitsui, again, as he frantically dodged the vicious swipe by the Cait Sith girl to drive him back as she tore through the mage complement he was told to guard like a flying buzzsaw. The small dragon accompanying her wasn’t doing a whole lot of attacking, just dodging fireballs sent its way, occasionally using its breath on the girl to heal her when someone managed to get a good shot in, and generally being a nuisance with its flying around.

Damn it, the girl was only equipped with mid-tier gear, and she was proving to be every bit as deadly as those two Sylphs who had shredded the ambush Mitsui had set up two weeks ago to serve as a distraction to try and suborn that one Sylph. That it failed made him wonder why Mortimer placed Mitsui in charge of this as well, but it wasn’t his place to question orders. At least Mitsui had the sense to actually listen this time. Even if it failed to kill all the Cait Sith players, there was a good chance that they would still get Alicia in it, or at least make her go back to Freelia if she survived. He was betting on her surviving as he knew that she got to her position due to her competence as a player.

A somewhat lax leader, which fit the Cait Sith players in general she may be, but her skills when she took to the field were well known.

But the fact that this one Cait Sith was tearing through experienced players like one of ALO’s einherjar in Jotunheim gave him the impression that she was an SAO survivor much like the one he had talked to back then. And given that she had a small dragon with her, and a quick look to confirm the presence of feathers, he had an idea of just which one she was.

He leapt to the side as she charged him, her dagger passing uncomfortably close to his throat and drew his sword. Had she already taken care of the mage squad? _How_? He kept a squad back to guard them for a reason!

“Your ambush tactics were sound, you know,” She said. “Mages to hit from a distance, send in some to get in close, basic tactics. And you were smart enough to have a squad guarding the mages, too.”

He turned and saw the Cait Sith who had dropped to the ground standing far enough from him that if he attacked, she would see it and have plenty of time to react. She had her dagger held in a loose grip and was idly tapping it against her thigh as if she hadn’t a care in the world. However, her reddish-brown eyes were keenly watching him and Kagemune was certain that the moment he made any hostile move, she would be on top of him.

_And thinking that is just so not ri-- OH FUCK!_ He broke his train of thought and began to block, parry, and dodge frantically. Thirty seconds later, he managed to punch her in the gut and break contact, deciding that taking advantage of the distraction it caused was more risk that it would be worth.

He was proven right when she barely missed him with a swipe of her dagger that would have nailed him below the belt. _Okay, this is a bad job,_ he concluded to himself after that. _I’m breaking contact and getting some distance from her before heading to the rendezvous point._

Easy to think and plan-- but oh, the execution was hell! Kagemune thought himself a fairly competent player-- good enough to help pull off this little ambush and do his part with a degree of success. His opponent had even praised their thwarted plan-- and why a general retreat wasn't being ordered, he still wasn't sure--

_Less musing!_ He chided himself as the Cait Sith flew into melee range again-- for the third. Damn. Time. _More disengaging!_

He would have to risk doing a straight run and build some speed and hope that she would go to reinforce her fellows since he was clearly retreating. Otherwise, he was going to get shanked from behind.

Granted, if he was correct in his guess and it was Silica, it wouldn’t be too embarrassing to be the one retreating. There was the problem that if it was the Dragon Princess, it would be easier said than done. That was actually what made it the less embarrassing option.

"Don't suppose I could just ask you to let me retreat?" He offered gamely, turning but keeping his weapon ready to defend himself with. Best try all his options, after all. That didn’t mean that he needed to be stupid about it, though.

He saw her break off her flight and quickly slow down. She had her dagger in a standard grip, and held at the ready, but was still for a moment before she lowered it slightly. Not enough to be open to an attack, but no longer in position to be ready to attack.

“And how do I know that you won’t simply use the chance to get me from behind if I do let you go?” She asked.

“Because I am fairly sure you took the others down, or drove them off,” he said. “Does it really matter? I leave, you head back and make sure the others are okay, and we all go on our separate ways.”

The Cait Sith narrowed her eyes and then nodded. “If you try anything…” She threatened.

Kagemune nodded at her and backed away without taking his eyes off of her. He would ask her name to confirm his suspicions, but he needed to leave while she was willing to let him go.

##

“They’re making a run for it!” came the call. “Lady Alicia, should we pursue?”

“Stay back!” Alicia called. “If they’re making a run for it, then we can continue on. Nekoma, how many did we lose?”

“We lost three,” came the reply. “Leiranta, Haldine, and Kuroneko. Silica’s still alive, but I don’t see-- never mind, I see her rising from the tree line. Looks like she drove the long range support off.”

“If she didn’t kill them all,” one said. “After all…”

“Nyanko, be careful what your next words are,” Alicia said sternly, turning to the speaker. “She hasn’t shied from being honest about what she did in SAO when asked about it, but she also doesn’t like being constantly reminded of it, either.”

Nyanko paused and shut her mouth, though Alicia knew what she was about to imply. After all, knowing that there was a player in their faction who had taken lives was something many were uncomfortable with. Not so much as to make an issue of it, but many weren’t going out of their way to interact with her as well.

She looked to see the aforementioned player make her way to them. “So, drove them off?” She asked.

“Those that had the sense to cut and run,” Silica replied. “I wasn’t going to pursue the runners on my own and give them a chance to get me if they were doing a feigned retreat. Well, that and less than half of them that had that much sense. Only two of the casters survived long enough to run, but whoever planned this was smart enough to leave a squad to protect them in case.”

“Surprised you didn’t hunt them down anyway,” Nyanko said in a snide tone.

“Nyanko!” Nekoma said.

Silica gave Nyanko a narrow-eyed look before simply shaking her head. “They ran and were out of the fight,” Silica said levelly. “There was no point in doing so.”

“Given what you--”  
  
“Nyanko,” Alicia interrupted. “ _Enough_. Now is not the time. Now, let’s continue on to Sorach. We still have a meeting to get to.”

“You do realize that it’s likely that Lady Sakuya and her party have been targeted as well.” Nekoma said.

“And?” Alicia asked archly. “I’m still going there and we’ll wait a bit, just in case. I won’t be running back to Freelia like a bitch with her tail between her legs, and Sakuya’s not the type to be scared off that easily, either. And Nyanko, we’ll be talking later.”

Nyanko flinched.

**Sylph Territory, Græntblaða Road**

Sakuya gave a narrow-eyed look to General Eugene, the Salamander leading the raid that had managed to cut her and her group off. She didn’t know who had tipped them off, and judging from Sigurd’s surprised countenance, it clearly wasn’t him. That was nice to know, though she wouldn’t be reinstating him to his previous position. He had resigned, after all.

She looked at the rest who all had their weapons ready. Leafa was doing some discreet hand signals to those close to her. Hadrian and Lux were surprisingly still, despite being in the air, both of them with their swords ready. From what she could see of their postures, not to mention the hard looks in their eyes, both were ready to fight.

And the two of them were all too still, despite being in the air. Judging by the wary looks several Salamanders were giving them, it was unnerving them quite thoroughly. It was one of the things about them that intimidated many of their fellow Sylphs. That ability to seem relaxed while being able to maintain an aura of them being ready for violence in an instant.

And she was hoping that intimidation factor would work here, if only to make a few of the approximately twenty-five Salamanders facing her outnumbered group of twelve hesitate. This wasn’t the worst odds she had faced in this game, but were still not ideal, especially with General Eugene commanding the group of Salamanders. His reputation as the best fighter in ALO was well deserved, after all.

Which also meant that the psychological effect of Hadrian and Lux throwing the Salamanders off their game was unlikely to work.

And he was shooting Hadrian and Lux looks as well, but she doubted it was nervousness in his case. If anything, he was recognizing that the two of them were clear threats and was probably marking them to be taken down first.

“I would ask why you’re all here,” she said calmly. “But I already know why. You’re not going to stop us you know, even if you kill me and Alicia.”

“Stopping you isn’t the end goal, just a step in that direction,” the Salamander general said. “Not that it matters anyway. At least give us a good fight before we send your Remain Lights back to your city.”

“Confident bastard, isn’t he?” Hadrian asked.

“He has good reason to be confident,” Sakuya said to him. “He has numbers and his reputation as a fighter is well deserved.”

“Well then,” the younger player said. “That makes it easy then.”

“Oh?”

“Lady Sakuya, head to Sorach,” he said. “Finish what you set out to do, I think a few of us can stay behind and buy you some time.” He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them. Sakuya could swear that she saw a glow coming from within them.

“Not that you intend to die, Harry,” Lux said. “Not that I intend to, either. Not in this fight, and not here. We may fall, but not like this."

"That was good. You get it from an anime?" Harry drawled.

"Inspired by the moment, I guess," Lux said, trying not to look too pleased if Sakuya didn't miss her guess.

Hadrian looked at the assembled Salamanders, his eyes narrowing. “It’s going to be fun in the interesting sense, though,” he said and looked back to Sakuya. “You’re still here Lady Sakuya?”

Sakuya gave him a look and then shook her head. She knew what he was planning, it wasn’t hard to figure out, after all.

“Lady Sakuya, he’s right,” Leafa said. “Go, I’ll stay with him and Lux and buy you some time.” She looked at the remaining Sylphs. “Get her to Sorach, it shouldn’t take you long. We’re Sylphs and we’re known for speed. Now, prove it.”

“I’ll stay as well,” Sigurd said. Sakuya looked at him with a raised eyebrow and he gave a shrug. “Can’t let those three go and take all the credit for being heroic idiots now, can I?”

“And you will simply join them?” Sakuya asked with a chuckle. “So then, who’s the idiot? The ones deciding to be heroic, or the one insisting on joining them?”

Sigurd smirked. “Yes.”

Sakuya shook her head and then turned. “Just buy us some time,” she said, meeting the eyes of the four. “A few minutes would be nice, but with the odds you’re facing, just buy us enough time to make it hard for them to catch up before you withdraw. Am I clear?”

“Hmm, five to one odds,” Hadrian said. “Not the worst I’ve faced, but duly noted Lady Sakuya.”  
  
“Mobs don’t count in this case, kid,” Eugene said, clearly having heard what was said.

Hadrian gave Eugene a look that seemed level, but Sakuya noticed a sudden tension in him. “June 20, 2023,” he said coolly. Sakuya couldn’t help but notice Leafa give him a sharp look, as if she knew precisely what that date meant. “First run-in with Laughing Coffin. Twenty-five of them, three of us. We survived, nine of them didn’t. Perhaps I should introduce myself.”

_Laughing Coffin, who would he be… oh… oh dear,_ Sakuya thought as she began to slowly float back so as to not draw the attention of the Salamanders who were now looking at Hadrian.

“By all means, please do so,” Eugene said. “You’re going to die anyway, but I might as well humor you.”

“Very well then,” Hadrian said before exploding into motion, Lux only a moment behind him.

##

Eugene managed to keep the shock from his face as the young Sylph moved and took out the two men nearest to him. The girl that followed after him was already hitting the flanks before she cut the power to her wings and fell to the ground, four of his men in pursuit. The other two Sylphs were only just beginning to move when he had to dodge several slashes before he had enough time to draw Gram and start blocking strikes. He managed to get their blades locked and glared at the young Sylph.

“Not bad,” the Sylph said. “Well, allow me to finish my introduction. Hadrian, SAO Survivor, member of the Assault Team, and with a particularly infamous title that was earned on that date.” His eyes hardened and Eugene noticed the glow in his eyes. “ _Red Killer_.”

Eugene pushed off with his blade and watched as the Sylph, Hadrian, was able to keep from being sent flying. “Hadrian, huh?” Eugene asked, noting that another five of his men had been taken down by the two who were still in the air, but the two were now being very defensive. “A bold claim, saying that you’re him. But can you live up to that claim?”

Hadrian’s posture didn’t change, but Eugene could feel that something within him changed. “It’s no claim, but I will try to live up to my reputation,” came the cool statement before he was flying back in and attacking.

Eugene didn’t know if the boy knew about Garm’s abilities or not, but as the attacks kept coming, he would admit that a good way to keep the weapon’s advantages from being leveraged was simply giving the wielder no chance to use the weapon for anything other than defense.

##

Leafa dodged a fireball and darted in, hoping to take down the one that was using magic to harass Sigurd and herself and allow the two of them to concentrate on keeping the remaining Salamanders busy. Hopefully, they could do so for long enough for Lux to finish off those that pursued her and come back.

Leafa knew that she was still alive, after all, so hopefully she would get back and help them deal with Eugene’s groupies. A quick glance to where she knew Hadrian’s fight was going saw that he was keeping the Salamander general well and truly occupied.

She saw the caster’s eyes widen as she got into his face and a few quick slashes had him turning into a remain light. _One down, how many to go?_ She thought as she took a moment to survey the battlefield. Hadrian was still engaging Eugene and holding his own. Lux was now rising from the trees and heading to back Sigurd up. And Sigurd just finished one of the Salamanders off and was now furiously defending himself against two attackers.

She then flew back into the aerial battle, hitting one from behind before she could shove a blade into Sigurd’s back. She had lost count of how many were left, let along taken down, but by this point, it didn’t matter much. The four of them had already made them bleed. And if a few did get through, they still had to get through Lady Sakuya’s bodyguards, not to mention take her on, to prevent her from reaching Sorach.

##

Harry rapidly flipped himself over and around Eugene’s blade as it simply phased through his sword during a parry attempt. He noticed his health drop a bit, as well as the sudden loss of feeling where the blade cut his cheek. How did it…?

He shook his head to clear that thought from his mind. If he stopped and thought about it, it would distract him, and that would get him killed. Bullshit weapon abilities aside, his opponent was _good_. He was wielding a two-handed sword far more effectively than the majority of those Harry had experience with in SAO, Strea included.

Eugene came in, forcing Harry back and down, the man able to follow his movements with the weapon, if slow enough for Harry to deflect by using his blade to actually hit the attacking weapon and knocking it off course.

_So, that phasing does have a limitation,_ he thought as he then did several quick slashes to take out a little of the man’s health before retreating to get out of range of the retaliating strike. His breathing was still deep and level, but this fight was going longer than he thought it would.

Considering that ALO didn’t have the kind of consequences SAO did, he had found it all too easy to assume that the player base was far less determined to get good than any SAO survivor who went past the Twenty-Fifth had to in order to survive. And he knew better than to make assumptions, and not because they made an arse of him and others, but because those assumptions tended to go around him and bite his arse. “You would have done well in Aincrad,” he said once he was confident that he had enough distance to react to an attack. “That weapon is complete bullshit, though. That aside, your skills would have definitely had the Assault Team wanting you there.”

“And you’re not half bad either,” Eugene complemented. “But now isn’t the time for us to be talking.”

Harry nodded, acknowledging the point. The Salamander general was right, after all. This wasn’t the time or place. “Indeed,” he said. “So, shall we?”

Eugene’s answering grin was all the answer he needed.

The two charged each other, both of their weapons readied for a strike. A moment later, they passed each other and Harry looked at where his right arm used to be. He had managed to avoid taking a lethal strike, but it cost him his weapon arm in the process. He looked to Eugene, who was giving his own right shoulder a look, noting the stump where his arm was as well. Judging from his own posture, he was still processing that the arm was indeed gone.

“What do you think?” He called out, getting the man’s attention. “Call it a draw?”

Eugene blinked and then laughed, shaking his head. Taking a look in the direction where the others were fighting, if the clashing of weapons and the swearing was any indication, he then looked back at Harry. “And you accomplished what you wanted.” He then gave a sharp whistle. “Everyone, fall back!” He ordered. “It’s too late to catch up with them and three Sylphs managed to take down half of you! When we get back to Gattan, you’re _all_ going to be practicing until you puke!”

He then looked at Harry. “I can accept that you are that Hadrian, the one from SAO,” he said. “I was doubtful when Kagemune told me, but he was right. And now I am almost disappointed that he was sent with the group to ambush Alicia’s group.”

Harry smirked. “Knowing her, she brought my wife along,” he said. “And she’s every bit as dangerous as any of us in Steel Phoenix were. Until we meet again then, General.”

**Sylph - Cait Sith Border, Sorach**

Silica watched as both Lady Sakuya and Lady Alicia signed the official documents that finalized the treaty they had been negotiating. The meeting and discussion before this had been as boring and tedious as she had thought it would be, but it was finally done with.

“Well, that’s done,” she heard Harry say. “So, we had a bit of a discussion with the Salamanders on the way here, how about you?”

Silica looked toward her husband and smirked. “We did as well,” she replied. “I went down and had some rather pointed things to say to those who were trying to snipe us with spell fire from the trees. Got most of them, but a few had the sense to see my point and concede the argument.”

Harry smirked. “Indeed,” he said. “Had to be rather cutting with my statements on a couple myself, but it was the discussion with General Eugene that turned into quite the battle of wits.”

“And it seems as if his arguments were disarming, considering your state when you finally got here.”

“His discussion points were just as disarming to the general,” Lux said. “So it wasn’t as if his comments didn’t have an edge to them as well.”

Silica could hear a couple of those present groan as what they were talking about finally percolated through their minds and she smirked. Their using such euphemistic phrasing to reference fighting others had been something that was common back in SAO and none of them saw any reason to change that.

“Hadrian, Lux, you too Silica,” Sakuya began with a sigh. “Do you three have to use such turns of phrase when talking about fighting other players?”

Harry turned to his faction leader. “Perhaps not, Lady Sakuya,” he admitted. “But it’s kind of a habit now when discussing certain things in public.”

“Don’t see why,” Silica heard Nyanko say. “It’s not like others can’t figure out what all that means or that you were saying such things to hide what you did from others.”

“Nyanko…” Alicia growled as Silica turned her attention to the Cait Sith in question.

“If it was an attempt to hide what we did, then it did a piss poor job of it,” Harry said. “It was no secret in SAO what my own reputation toward Reds, those who killed others for fun, was. And SAO wasn’t here, where dying or killing someone was simply something that, while an annoyance from what I’ve heard, doesn’t carry severe consequences. There, you killed someone, they were dead in the real world.

“We never hid or denied the fact that each of us has killed someone in SAO. We don’t make a big deal of it, we don’t say it for all and sundry to hear about, but that’s simply good manners. That we don’t hide what it’s about when confronted about it should tell you something.”

“W-what?!” Nyanko asked.

“That we’re not trying to make excuses or hide from what we did,” Harry said calmly meeting her eyes. “We’re also not taking pride in what we did, either. I did my damned best to make sure that what circumstances may have made a tragic necessity was still not praiseworthy.”

Nyanko seemed to be paralyzed by that gaze, and Silica felt a bit of satisfaction at that. It was one trait of his that Harry had demonstrated several times in SAO. His ability to remain cool and collected when others would have already shown just how offended they were. She had no doubt that had Harry reacted like most would in such a situation, defensive, then Nyanko wouldn’t be on the back foot in this. However, the fact that Harry could be calm in such a situation wasn’t going to her internal script.

“I… I wasn’t trying to…” Nyanko began before swallowing.

“You weren’t trying to… what?” Harry asked. “Imply that any one of us are murderers? I know how Japanese culture would what we’ve done, regardless of whether or not it was necessary. We operated on the belief that it was necessary. They had killed two hundred people in less than two months, and all indications pointed at them continuing to do so. So tell me, what should we have done?”

“Hadrian,” Sakuya said, a touch sharply. “That’s enough.”

Harry turned to his faction leader and nodded. “My apologies, Lady Sakuya,” he said. “I will leave the matter be.”

“As shall we,” Alicia said firmly, the _or else_ perfectly implied. She settled her now irate gaze on Nyanko. “And I think it’s time the two of us had that conversation, Nyanko."

Nyanko had the grace to blush and bow her head as she murmured "Yes, my Lady."

“Good,” Sakuya said and then looked at him and Lux. “And with the treaty now signed, I probably should allow you to head to Arun as you have wanted to for the last few weeks. I thank you for your patience with this, as I am fairly sure that it may have been a bit of an issue for you two.”

“It was no problem, Lady Sakuya,” Lux said. “We understood your reasons why, and were willing to wait while the treaty negotiations and the signing were taken care of.” She looked to Harry and Silica. “So, do we make our way there now?”

Silica looked at her husband, who simply gave a shrug.


	10. Reforging the Phoenix

**February 3, 2025 - Alfheim, Foirgneamh**

Rain wiped her forehead, brushing the red hair that she had in ALO out of her eyes as she finished hammering on the ingot and watched as it began to change into a sword. She had picked leprechaun simply because it had a crafting bonus and she could now pick and choose skills for the sheer hell of it, rather than because they helped her in surviving.

That she could also use it to pad her wallet once she got good enough was also a bonus. She had generally stayed around Foirgneamh since she came into ALO. There was the trip to Arun, mostly so she knew precisely how to get there, but she otherwise stayed in the faction capital practicing with blacksmithing and asking for advice and tips from more experienced crafters.

She wouldn’t be a replacement for Lisbeth if she ever came into ALO, and she didn’t intend to be one. Why would she try to replace the one who had made the majority of her and the others’ weapons for over a year? If anything, her taking up blacksmithing was her way of paying tribute to the girl.

“I don’t know what the hell you’ve been drinking,” she heard a familiar voice. “But why would someone want a weapon so obviously fancy that it has to be hiding something? I mean, come on! Something like that _has_ to have some flaw to it that will cause it to fail or break at the worst possible time!”

Rain smirked as she heard that. _Think of the blacksmith, as she appears_ , she thought as she began to shut down the forge she was using. This was something she wanted to see.

“Listen girl,” came the retort. “I don’t know who you are, but from the gear you have, you’re a noob. How would _you_ know what quality gear looks like, let alone how to check for that?”

Rain walked out of the public workshop and headed to where the argument was happening. It didn’t take long for her to see a burly leprechaun confronting a familiar face. That pink hair in its tomboyish haircut was distinctive, after all.

“Well girl?” The leprechaun asked. “Who are _you_?”

“She’s someone who has two years of experience forging weapons that have been used in a more serious environment than here, if I’m not mistaken,” came the voice of a woman Rain had only met in passing. Lady Samhaoir was tall and stocky, easily standing at tall as Strea, and built in a way that made it seem as if she didn’t need a blacksmith’s hammer to pound metal into the desired shapes. “Why is it that half the time I hear your name, it’s because you’re causing trouble, Kumitsu?”

“Lady Samhaoir, I’m not causing trouble here,” Kumitsu protested. “It is merely a disagreement between me and this newbie here. Even if she knows blacksmithing from the real world, or some other place, that doesn’t mean that her knowledge applies here in ALO.”

“She’s probably right, though,” Rain said, grabbing everyone’s attention. “Just because a weapon looks good, experience has taught both me and her that something that fancy has to be checked thoroughly to make sure that it is genuine, and not having some flaw to it.”

“Ah, _you_ ,” Kumitsu said. “Who are you again? Why do you say that, and what makes you think she’s right?”

Rain gave him a smirk. “For two years in SAO and she was my guild’s primary provider for weapons, and she had a customer base that was far larger than just us,” She said. “She was highly recommended by members of the Assault Team, many middies, and even those who were known as the best blacksmiths in SAO. As for her claiming that, it stems from the fact that overly fancy weapons tended to have some flaw in them, either a stat penalty, glass-like durability, or other problems that made them far worse than what their other stats would have claimed.”

Lisbeth turned to look at her. “The only reason Gilbrean and Reinhard recommended me was because the players they sent could usually afford my rates and my work was good enough to meet their high standards,” she said. “Gilbrean especially would tear someone apart for trying to sell something they forged as if it was high quality, but wasn’t as high quality as he knew they were capable of. And… wait a minute. Rain? What are you doing here?”

Rain smirked. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” She asked. “It’s not just me who’s playing ALO, the others are as well. And you’re right about Gilbrean in that regard. He did say that the Dark Repulsor you forged for Kirito was good work when we showed it to him.”

“That was when you took those high level mats that needed the touch of someone who maxed his blacksmithing right?” Lisbeth asked. “You know, the mats you got from that one battle that were above my ability to work?”

Rain nodded. “Yeah, it was back then,” she admitted. “Probably the only time we didn’t commission you, but you were the one who sent us to him in the first place. But it felt... wrong to us, in a way. I mean, you were the one who did all that for us, but we had to go to someone else that time.”

“I don’t know why you felt that way,” Lisbeth said. “As you said, I’m the one who sent you his way, and I did make sure all your gear was in perfect condition that last day.”

Rain smiled. “That you did, Liz. That you did.”  
  


“Still, I’m almost surprised that you’re here in ALO,” Lisbeth said. “Almost. Who else is here, if I might ask?”

Rain smirked. “We all are,” she replied. “Different races, but we’re all in. The main reason is that it gives us another means to meet up that doesn’t require coordinating around our therapy and counseling appointments, as well as anything else that comes up.” It wasn’t quite true, at least in being the main reason, but it worked well enough. Few knew about Strea and Yui being AIs, after all, and this was the only way to meet up with them right now.

But that wasn’t something she would tell Liz, let alone a question she would ask the girl.

“So, my guess that she is an SAO survivor is correct,” Samhaoir mused. “And we got her as one of our own.”

Rain turned her attention to the faction leader and blinked. “Ma’am?” She enquired.

Samhaoir shook her head. “It’s nothing,” she said. “Just an old woman musing on things, that’s all.”

Rain narrowed her eyes, but didn’t ask for clarification. She was new to ALO and was admittedly still following the unspoken rules and conventions of SAO when it came to player interactions. She didn’t know if those conventions applied to ALO, but she felt it was best to go on as if they did until she found out otherwise. Or learned the social conventions for ALO.

She then looked between Lisbeth and Kumitsu. “So, you both were arguing about a weapon, right?” She asked. “Why don’t you show it off then and we can go over it.”

“That sounds like a splendid idea, don’t you think Kumitsu?” Samhaoir asked, giving him a smiling look that didn’t fool anyone for a moment. If anything it reminded Rain of Asuna’s unsmiles. The ones she gave when she was restraining the urge to throw some idiot out the door on his ass.

“Um, it is-- I mean, you’re absolutely right, Lady Samhaoir,” Kumitsu hastily said. He’s obviously attracted the faction leader’s ire before. He opened his inventory and pulled a weapon out of it, which got Lisbeth’s attention.

“Hey, wait a minute!” She protested. “That wasn’t the weapon you showed me. It’s not as fancy, it’s missing the gilding on the cross guard, in fact the cross guard is so short it doesn’t have quillons like the other one did. And it lacks the etching on the blade as well. Bring out the one you showed me that sparked this argument.”

“You must be mistaken, this is the one I showed you,” Kumitsu said. “Are you sure you’re properly synced to your AmuSphere?”

“I don’t have FNC,” Lisbeth shot out irritably. “Not that this weapon probably lacks weaknesses of its own.”

“What did you say?” Kumitsu growled.

Lisbeth reached out and easily took the weapon from Kumitsu’s hands. She swung it around a bit and then held it up with a frown. “Hmm… a blade that’s just shy of a meter in length, Viking or Carolingian pattern if I’m not mistaken, with a hilt and guard that was a common design before the European Middle Ages really took off. The balance is a little too far forward for a sword of this type, though.”

“You know quite a bit about swords,” Samhaoir said.

“SAO actually had a lot of literature on weapons and their origins,” Lisbeth said offhandedly. “Kind of broke the internal lore of the game, not that anyone cared, but blacksmiths found the texts on weapons to be very informative.”

She then brought her hand up and began to bring up several interfaces around it. “Glad that the interfaces for inspecting and identifying something are pretty much the same from SAO.” She said as she looked them over. “Decent stats, but not what someone would want for a sword like this. If it was a long sword, the higher attack value would make a bit more sense, but the design of this one favors more defensive and agility based builds, rather than power builds. The main problem, outside of the balance I mentioned, is that its durability is _low_. Whoever had this would be spending more money on repairs and maintenance in time, and I wouldn’t take this into any major dungeons, especially if a boss is at the end.”

Rain walked over and looked the displayed stats over and nodded. Liz was right in the fact that the durability was lower than any experienced player in SAO would accept. When one’s life depended on a weapon being resilient enough to take punishment and abuse, players tended to choose weapons that had high durability over weapons that had high stats. Lisbeth looked at her and handed the weapon over.

Rain took it and backed away a bit. She didn’t doubt that Liz was right, but she was the sword wielder. Lisbeth preferred a mace, if she recalled. She could already tell just from holding the sword that the balance was too far forward like she said. With the sword’s design, this wasn’t really a good thing. It would provide more cutting power, but it also would reduce the finer control of the weapon. If the blade had been more like a falchion, then the forward center of balance would work in its favor due to those weapons being designed with cutting power in mind. But for a standard sword, that was a less than desirable thing.

She gave the pommel a good slap to see how the sword vibrated and noticed the lack of such. If this was SAO, this would be a sign of the weapon was far more rigid than it should be. Even a rapier, which was among the most rigid of swords in SAO to assist with its thrusting power, still vibrated to some extent when given this test.

“You made the weapon too rigid, meaning that even if the durability is higher, it’s vulnerable to an Arms Break and simply shattering from a strong enough hit,” Lisbeth said.

“The Arms Break might be less likely here, Liz,” Rain said as she handed the sword to Kumitsu. “Even in SAO, that required a very precise hit and there weren’t many who were skilled enough to do that. Especially without using a sword skill as well, which don’t exist in this game. ALO has a lot in common with SAO, but it _isn’t_ SAO, so those rules might not apply.” She doubted that was the case, but she knew that it had to be said, anyway.

Lisbeth was about to say something when she stopped and frowned. “You have a point there,” she said with a sigh. “But my point still stands that there are so many things with that weapon that aren’t done correctly that…” She took a breath. “All right, most of the players probably wouldn’t notice, but still.”

Rain looked at Kumitsu and Samhaoir, who were both looking on. Samhaoir seemed to be slightly amused, but Kumitsu was looking at his weapon with a frown before looking at the two of them.

“Tell me something, were details like that really that important in SAO?” He asked.

“Yes,” both Rain and Lisbeth said before looking at each other. Rain gestured to Lisbeth that she should probably explain.

“There were a lot of nods to how things would be if SAO was actually real,” Lisbeth said. “Not that it wasn’t all too real to those of us stuck in there, but I think you get what I’m saying. Well, when they were making it, they did a lot of research, and that research was also available in SAO for us to look over if we wanted to. Blacksmiths tended to research how weapons and armor were made because of that. I don’t know how much those who were in the Assault Team looked up manuals for fighting, but there were some around.” She looked at Rain, who shrugged.

Lisbeth shook her head. “Well, how you wielded a weapon there was largely how they would have been wielded in the real world. There were allowances made, it _was_ a game after all, but you would be surprised at just how close to reality Kayaba made some things.”

“One of those things was weapons,” Rain said, picking up from there. “Things like materials, the weapon’s balance, how flexible or rigid it was, its weight, and those things played a role in how a weapon handled. Balance alone was important, especially for swords, as an improperly balanced sword is a bitch to control, no matter how good your stats were. Even those of us who weren’t blacksmiths ended up developing an eye for things like that. Also, different types of swords had different points of balance, which affected how they were used. Liz here, especially, can go on about weapons and how details like that and more matter. She was a blacksmith in SAO, and a damn good one.”

“I… see,” Kumitsu said before he put the sword back into his inventory. “I think I’m going to have to rethink how I put weapons together.” He turned and began to walk off.

“If you don’t mind, here’s a bit of advice,” Lisbeth said. “Do a little research on the weapon types and how they were made, don’t just pick and choose from the menu and let the system do it all for you. You have to be involved in the process to some degree, so that bit of knowledge helps a lot. Also, when you put that hammer to the metal, find a method that gets consistently good results for you.”

Kumitsu looked at her for a moment. “I’ll… take that under advisement,” he said before walking off.

Rain nodded at that bit of advice. Even though she hadn’t practiced any crafting skills in SAO, she knew from what Asuna sometimes said that getting somewhat involved in the creation process tended to yield better results. The system still did most of the work, but actual involvement by the player seemed to be the key.

She hadn’t determined if that was the case herself, but she also wasn’t going to discount the idea.

“Well, that’s rare,” Samhaoir said with a chuckle. “Someone managed to get him to shut up without shoving something down his throat or threaten him.”

Rain turned to the woman. “I guess we just knew what to say this time, Lady Samhaoir,” she said before turning to Lisbeth. “Liz, this is our faction leader, Lady Samhaoir. Lady Samhaoir, this is Lisbeth, a SAO survivor like I am and a damn good blacksmith.”

“It’s a pleasure,” Samhaoir said, extending her hand.

“The pleasure’s mine,” Lisbeth replied as she took it and they both shook hands.

**February 8, 2025 - Alfheim, Legrue Corridor**

Shirin would be the first to admit that she was glad to not be having to fly to get somewhere for the time being. She was improving, but she was finding that practicing flight out of a town or city was a different experience to doing so inside one. Having to pay attention to her surroundings more in case monsters attacked, rather than to make sure she didn’t fly into anything or anyone, certainly made flying a bit more complicated for her.

Lux and her friends seemed to have no trouble in doing so, but that was likely due to their own experience with the necessary multitasking. Not that they had her fight if she didn’t want to. She had admitted that she wasn’t comfortable with fighting in the air. She was having a hard enough time with doing so when she had the ground under her feet.

Who would have thought that facing off against the local wildlife would be so scary? The fact that it was fake didn’t seem to matter when those beasts were charging you, something which made the other three chuckle when she told them. Not in mockery, but in remembrance.

“I think we all had that bit of fright at some point in SAO,” the Cait Sith, Silica, said. “Seeing it on a screen is one thing, seeing it without that? It takes some getting used to.”

“Don’t worry too much about getting scared, ma’am,” Hadrian said. “If anything, the fact that you’re scared is something that we see as a good thing. Even now, without the dangers of SAO, there’s still that little shiver of fear there." He looked around the entrance to the cave they were about to enter.

“It’s nice to know that you all get scared as well,” Shirin said drily. “But you all don’t show it.”

“Mom, we’re also used to that fear,” Lux said. “That does make a difference. If you keep playing, I’m sure you’ll get used enough to it as well.” She then looked around. “And it’s going to get pretty dark in here, so we’ll need to watch our steps.”

 _“Oss náða nótt lysa auga,_ ” she heard Hadrian chant and she noticed everything get brighter and easier to see. “Well, that worked.” He said.

Shirin looked at him and was surprised to see his eyes now having a green glow to them. A look to the others showed a similar glow to theirs. Her daughter’s eyes glowed a soft golden brown, while Silica’s glowed with a slightly reddish cast to them. She wondered what the glow in her eyes was like.

“So, that was ALO’s magic?” She asked him.

Hadrian nodded. “Yes,” he said as he walked further into the cave. “There are a lot of spells, as well as what are called Words of Power that need to be combined to make spells. The words actually sounded close to a language that some of my classmates back before SAO were studying, so I did a little research on it.”

“And what did you find out?” Shirin asked.

“While it wasn’t the language that I somewhat recalled from my days back in school before SAO, the language is related to it,” Harry said. “They’re basically using Icelandic to cover the language aspects. Not quite accurate, but the bad translations or conversions between languages isn’t that big a deal here. They wanted to make sure that the words being put together have a meaning that’s at least close to what the spell does.”

“Let me guess, they went with ‘good enough’ and decided to not go the extra bit,” Silica snarked. “It’s not like _we’d_ know, right?”

“Probably, and to be honest, the only reason I did that digging is only because I had classmates in my dorm learning how to read Old Norse runes and thus also had to learn the pronunciations,” Harry replied. “I thought what the Words of Power were that, so I decided to do some research.”

“Makes sense, and they used an actual language that no one in Japan was likely to recognize,” Shirin observed. “If you hadn’t said that it was Icelandic, it’s not like we would have known. And most players probably don’t care since the system works well enough.”

“And as long as it works, that’s all that most players are really going to care about,” Hadrian admitted. “And I really don’t care all that much. I will admit, though, that seeing what the dictionary for the Words of Power had to offer does show that the already known spells might not be everything.”

“What do you mean?” Shirin asked. She did notice her daughter and Silica give him knowing looks and wondered what that was about.

“Well, I can explain when we reach Legrue,” Hadrian said. “From what I’ve heard, it should take only about half an hour for us to get there. Best to be in a safe zone, first.”

**Legrue**

Silica felt herself relax as soon as they entered the subterranean town. The instincts which ensured that she stayed alert when outside a safe zone served her well in ALO, as it did for Harry and Lux. She glanced to the side and saw the two of them lose their alert postures and that Shirin, Lux’s mother, had relaxed as well.

Getting through the cave system that led here was easy enough, even with the mobs. However...

“Oh, thank heavens that we’ve made it here,” she heard Shirin state as the older woman looked around. “Those ape monsters were…” She shuddered.

“I know what you mean,” Lux said. “Seriously, throwing their… waste… like that? Eugh!”

“That kind of attack was a bit much,” Silica agreed. “I would like to have a nice chat with the dev who came up with that mob and that attack for it. At dagger point.”

“In here or out in the real world?” Harry asked.

“Yes.” Was all that she said in response.

“Duly noted, dear,” Harry said as he looked around. “Hmm, not a bad look to the place. Not like that one place in SAO, you know, that one central town that was underground, but still nice.”

Silica smiled at that. She knew the place he was talking about. They had stayed there when they were clearing that floor because it was a nice and relaxing place. And, of course, that was the town where they had their first outing that was certainly not a date. What was its name again? Lombaru? Ronbaru?

“Wasn’t that place where you two had your first date?” Lux asked. “Well, the first outing that everyone called a date, even if you two denied that those outings were dates.”

“Why would they be denying that they were dates?” Shirin asked.

“The consensus among the players was that, after a while, they were trolling the rest of us,” Lux said. “Because, while they probably didn’t see the first few of those dates as dates, everyone was calling them dates.” She shrugged. “Okay, perhaps we were trolling them with the teasing, but they definitely started trolling everyone after a while.”

Silica was about to respond to that when she paused. There was more than a little truth to what her friend said, after all. She looked at Harry, who was simply raising his hand to acknowledge the point.

“Well, we’re here now,” she said as she glanced to where the time was in her HUD. “So, should we take a short break here?”

“It wouldn’t be a bad idea,” Harry said. “Besides, we can also check the shops and see if there’s anything that we can use.”

“Or we could wait until we get to Arun,” Lux said. She looked around a bit and walked over to a bench. Taking a seat she looked about for a bit before sighing. “And I do have to take care of something, so if you could all watch my body for me, I can do that.”

Silica raised an eyebrow at that statement, wondering what Lux would need to take care of, but didn’t enquire further. It could be for a number of reasons, after all, but from the look on Shirin’s face it was something that was known.

“Are you feeling the cramps even in here?” The woman asked, to Lux’s vibrant blush.

“Mom!” She protested. “That’s… not something that we should bring up here.”

Silica wondered what that was about before she realized what it was likely about. “You mean that you’re…?”

Lux looked at her and nodded, her face red.

“I… have a feeling I already know what this is about,” Harry said, looking a bit green before shaking his head and muttering about trolling information brokers telling him things that he had certainly _not_ wanted to know about in detail.

“Oh, so Argo made sure to give you a very comprehensive talk?” Silica asked with some amusement. At his look, she gestured to the catlike ears on her head. “These ears aren’t just for decoration, you know.” She then twitched one and grinned as Harry shook his head. The fact that she saw his own hands twitch, as if they wanted to touch her ears, also amused her.

“Hadrian, you said that you would explain why you think that what’s already known about ALO’s magic system can’t be everything,” Shirin said, getting his attention as her daughter sat down on a nearby bench and logged out. That her body was still there was surprising, but she did recall that logging out wouldn’t cause the body to immediately disappear if done outside of a place like an inn or tavern.

##

Harry looked at the older Sylph and nodded. He had said he would explain his belief in ALO’s magic not being limited to the known and listed spells. It was only partially based on the fact that the list for the Words of Power was fairly comprehensive in its own right, indicating a greater versatility than most probably suspected. The main reason he saw the potential for greater versatility was even simpler. SAO had allowed players to create swords skills of their own, albeit with difficulty and no guarantee of success.

With the very similarities between ALO and SAO, similarities that an SAO survivor would notice, it was clear that they came from the same basic system and thus had the same underlying rules and principles. Yes, ALO had magic instead of sword skills, but that was merely a surface detail. The underlying system for the magic was very likely taken from the same one that handled sword skills and modified to suit the game.

“Well, it comes down to one simple thing, really,” he finally said. “When doing some research on the magic system, I didn’t find any information that said that creating spells was impossible in the game. They have a fairly large list of words to be used in the spells, so it should be possible to create new spells. The hard part would be making sure that your required magic skills are high enough, and that you find the right combination of words.”

“You’re trying to see if you can recreate Mystic Blade, aren’t you?” Silica asked, surmising what he was getting to.

Harry smirked. “Of course, dear,” he admitted. “And ALO has a proper magic system, unlike how it was in SAO, so I shouldn’t have to figure out the entire thing as I go.”

“If you manage to pull it off,” Silica noted.

“There is that,” Harry conceded.

“That’s nice and all, but what does that have to do with ALO’s magic system?” Shirin asked.

“It’s based on something I noticed here in ALO,” Harry said. “I’m sure Lux has told you about how she finds a lot of things here familiar, right?” He smiled when Shirin nodded. “Well, I’m pretty sure that every SAO survivor that came here has noticed several things about ALO that are far too familiar to be coincidence.”

“Are you sure you’re not just projecting your SAO experiences?” Shirin asked.

“He and I have talked about this and we did account for that,” Silica said. “Some of it probably is our projecting our experiences there, but we have noticed that there are far too many things that are similar to SAO, almost copies really. I know that there has been a rumor that ALO’s game engine was based off of SAO’s own one, and given that RECT was responsible for maintaining the SAO servers and had made ALO, it’s likely that they took cues from the SAO Beta servers and built ALO’s engine using the same base that SAO had.”

“We’d have to ask Kirito about it, he’d know,” Harry said. “Anyway, those similarities and the fact that we do think that ALO is running on the same base principles that SAO did, thankfully without the more fatal consequences, means that we just might be able to create spells from the words of power. We won’t know until we try, and I’m planning on getting my magic up a bit before I start experimenting.”

“He’s going to be blowing himself up fairly often,” Silica noted with some amusement.

Shirin blinked and Harry could tell that she was thinking about what his wife just said. “Now dear, we don’t know that,” he said. “Granted, that happening wouldn’t be a surprise given how often it happened to me in SAO. Let’s just hope that if it does, it doesn’t go like last time.”

“You mean the blowing your arm off and teaching me and Lux the finer points of the English language as a result?” Silica asked.

“He blew his own arm off?” Shirin asked with some concern.

“Don’t worry about it too much, ma’am,” Harry said in a casual tone. “It’s not likely to happen here since bungling a spell here means nothing happens. In SAO, playing with Mystic Blade tended to result in my experiments blowing up in my face, which could get quite painful at times due to pain becoming a thing by that point.”

“Like blowing your own arm off,” Shirin said flatly.

Harry winced. “Yeah, like blowing my arm off,” he said weakly.

“What is it about him blowing his arm off?” Came Lux’s question.

They all turned to her, having missed her logging back in. “Just going over one of the results of my experimenting with Mystic Blade and what happened that one time it took my arm off,” Harry said. “That and the subsequent English lesson I gave about the finer points of my native tongue.”

Lux winced. “Ah, I remember that,” she said. “Why did that get brought up?”

Harry pointed at Silica. “She surmised, correctly, that I am going to see if I can duplicate Mystic Blade using ALO’s magic system, and that if things held true to form, I am likely to blow myself up a few times in the process,” he said.

Lux nodded. “Well, at least when it happens, it shouldn’t hurt as much,” she said cheerfully.

“Thanks for your confidence in me,” Harry said sarcastically to the laughter of everyone else.

**Arun Plateau, Two Kilometers Southwest of Arun**

Yui stabbed her spear into the mob, finally killing it and looked around carefully to make sure there were no more mobs in her immediate area. She was still working on building her stats and weapon skills up, a process that took time, even with her having the stats she had in SAO. Stats, which were more appropriate for a mid-level player, but still ones that gave her an initial advantage when starting out here.

She turned her senses to the more digital side of things for a moment to check for anything she couldn’t see and sensed a small group of players moving toward her. She didn’t know if they were hostile or not, but she also wasn’t going to chance it. She also wasn’t going to risk fighting them that was Strea’s thing. She preferred avoidance. _Fortunately, I have a nice pair of spells that work well for this,_ she thought to herself.

 _“Ég skal hylja myrkri þoku,”_ she chanted out and black smoke quickly exploded out from her location and surrounded her. And from the cursing she heard, it had hidden her position successfully, though they would still know her approximate location. If they had someone who happened to have sharper hearing than average for a player, they would be able to track her that way. Now, for the next bit, as she had learned the hard way that a simple smokescreen might not be enough. “ _Ég rennur gegnum ljósið._ ” Was the following chant which would grant her partial invisibility. Only partial, since an observant or perceptive player would spot the distortion unless the light was bad enough to mask it, hence the smokescreen.

The benefits to Illusion Magic that playing a Spriggan gave her simply made the trick more effective. And there was that one time she scared off a party of Gnomes when she used the Metamorphosis Spell to give her a monstrous appearance, forcing them to face off against something that was large, serpentine, and with far too many teeth. It was essentially the miniature version of Jörmungandr, if the Lore about the mob she had taken the form of was anything to go by.

She did try to startle Strea with it, only for the Amazonian Gnome to find it cute and adorable. And then proceed to hug the air out of her, as well as make her light mail armor creak alarmingly, as if the overly boisterous and affectionate Gnome was crushing the links.

She stopped her musings and quickly made her way off to the side, setting her feet the way that Lady Kuro had taught her for moving quietly. While she could see through the smokescreen to some extent, it still clouded her vision to some degree, so she was having to rely more on her feel for how the system was running. Being an AI, SA was a natural part of her, though she still had to practice with and refine her usage of it.

Not that she relied solely on it, her physical senses were usually fine, and her hearing was slightly sharper in ALO than it was in SAO. Hearing which picked up what was being said by those players rather clearly, making her smirk. She knew who these players were now, and they regularly tried to sneak up on and harass her. Her obvious youth made her an apparently easy target when she was on her own.

“Damn it, that little brat has managed to get us like this _again_!” Came the complaint of one.

“I told you it wouldn’t work,” came from the group’s lone female. “You keep insisting on trying to sneak up on her the same way, expecting it to work. You don’t think it’s not a little predictable, or something?”

“Oh spare me, Mirni,” came the hot tempered response. “She’s only a kid, so how would she keep noticing us?”

“Don’t ask me,” Mirni replied in an annoyed tone. “She always seems to see us coming. Like she has eyes in the back of her head, or something. Well, either that, or your stealth skills are just that pathetic.”

“Both of you, knock it off,” came the voice of the final member of the group. “Merrin, she doesn’t know how the girl does it. Mirni, your brother is just annoyed that she always seems to notice him, and you know that his stealth isn’t that bad. Besides, she’s probably long gone by now.”

“Ahhh, _damn it!_ ” Came Merrin’s swear again. “You sure she’s gone Nobu?”

“With your shouting, it’s not like we can hear her movements, so she could have run for all we know,” Nobu said with some asperity. “And even if she hadn’t moved off, she’ll be using an illusion to conceal her presence anyway. The girl knows how to move quietly, unlike you.”

“She’s wearing armor, though,” Mirni noted.

“There’s probably a trick to that, and again, you two are being loud enough that we wouldn’t be hearing her move anyway,” Nobu said. “Now, _be quiet._ ”

The sounds of discussion were already fading by that time as Yui had made it out of the smokescreen. She looked around before bringing her wings out and cancelling the invisibility spell. It wouldn’t be the first time she had gotten ambushed by a mob or even another player because she wasn’t watching her surroundings or paying attention to the system.

Seeing no one, she brought her wings out and took to the air. As she flew to Arun by memory, she checked her Friends List and saw that Harry, Silica and Lux were now somewhere on the plateau. She picked Harry’s name and chose the option to track where exactly he was. A quick check of her map showed that he was moving toward Arun and wasn’t all that far from her position.

And if he was here, then Silica and Lux were probably with him. Well, if she changed her flight path slightly, she would meet up with them shortly before the gates, so she might as well simply adjust her course so that they would just happen to meet.

 _Kirito went to Terun to guide Asuna here, and Rain already knows the way from her own trips between Foirgneamh and here,_ she mused. _It’s going to be nice to have all of us together in one place again._

##

Strea idly tapped her fingers against her cuisses as she waited for Yui to come back. While it wasn’t often that her fellow AI went out alone to fight mobs or practice her skills, she did do it on occasion. Not that Strea could say anything about it, as she did it more often and for more reasons than training.

Getting into the semi-regular and generally friendly brawls that happened near the Valley of Dragons was a fun way to spend the afternoon when she was getting bored, after all. The fact that many of the Salamanders and other who always showed up greeted her cheerfully when she did come said a great deal about how others felt about her being there as well.

After all, she and most of those who went to those brawls relied more on their strength of arms rather than magic, though it wasn’t unheard of for several Undines who wanted to practice their healing magic to show up as well.

And the last time she went to those brawls, she heard some interesting rumors about General Eugene being fought to a draw by a Sylph when he was out on a mission. A few questions informed her of some more details and her simply nodding and stating that the result didn’t surprise her. She knew that Sylph, and rather well at that.

That someone in ALO had managed to fight him to a draw surprised her a bit, if only because even the best ALO players were usually only as skilled as the better middies from SAO in a fight. Admittedly, that’s still fairly skilled, but it wasn’t the same level as she was used to seeing from her time on the Assault Team.

ALO’s players seemed to simply lack something that SAO’s players had. Was it the fact that those who went out did so despite the very real risk of death? Their acknowledgment and defiance of that grim fact? She didn’t know, and even Yui couldn’t answer that question.

What was the difference and why did it exist?

She shook her head to clear those thoughts out of her mind. It was something to think over at a later date anyway. She looked out onto the grassy plains that made the area around Arun and focused on where Yui should be arriving from in a few moments. It was almost time for lunch and she was looking to check out that new place that was opened up recently by that pair of Gnomes, the Dicey Cafe, or something. She could swear she recognized one of them.

She watched the crowds of coming and going players when she finally found her fellow AI. And look who finally decided to show up in Arun? She knew that they had been delayed due to the negotiations between the Sylph and Cait Sith factions, but she was surprised that it still took them another week to get here when that was all done.

Though the presence of Lux’s mom might explain the delay.

Ah well, it didn’t matter, Kirito would be in Terun to bring Asuna over, Rain was going to be here tomorrow, and now the rest of the guild was here. _It’s about damn time,_ she thought to herself as she stepped away from where she had been waiting and made her way to the quintet that was approaching Arun’s gates.

Her family by choice was finally going to have everyone here.


	11. Setting the Field

**February 8, 2025 - Alfheim, Arun East Gate**

Asuna landed and turned to see Kirito doing the same. She had sent Yui and Strea a message that she was going to be leaving Terun after having proven that yes, she was learning the magic system by managing to cast the three required spells that all Undines were expected to know before going out on their own.

The basic healing spell, both the single and multiple target variants, the Ice Spear for combat, and the Aqua Bind for crowd control. The spells that covered the three main uses of magic for Undines in the forms of healing, attack, and support. She didn’t need to demonstrate her melee competence, not after she knocked some heads together after some decided to haze her for using the same name she did in SAO.

As if her looking very close to how she did in SAO shouldn’t have clued them in. So she was a little softer in her looks, her hair and eyes were blue, and so on, but she wasn’t _that_ different in appearance. But some had decided to give her some trouble until she set them straight in the sparring ring.

Though the one called Sumeragi gave her a very good fight. He was almost able to keep up with her speed, and had a solid defense despite being slower than her.

“Well, we’re here,” Kirito said. “Yui and Strea have an inn with attached tavern that they have been staying at in the Central district.” He glanced to something only he could see. “And I just got a message from Yui.”

Asuna watched as he brought it up and read it. “What’s it about?” She asked.

Closing the message, Kirito looked at her. “It’s just Yui informing me that Harry, Silica and Lux are now in Arun,” he said. “They also brought someone with them, Lux’s mom. I think training her was what held them up.”

Asuna blinked. “Wait, Lux’s mom plays this game?” She asked.

Kirito shrugged. “I think she said something along those lines when we last met,” he said. “Something about showing her mom the nice parts of VR.”

Asuna thought about it before nodding. She couldn’t put everyone’s mothers into the same category as hers, after all. Kyouko Yuuki was a cold woman at the best of times. One who tended to see many things, like Asuna’s going into ALO, as distractions to what she considered to be of real importance.

Asuna couldn’t say that the woman was entirely wrong, either.

Needless to say, the continued disagreement between her and her mother on some things was something that Asuna was resigned to. Granted, they had reached a compromise in the matter, but she knew that it was precisely that, a compromise.

_Bah, don’t think of that,_ she thought to herself as she followed Kirito into the city and looked around. Arun was certainly a beautiful city in its own right, having been built around the World Tree, Yggdrasil. She could also see it rising on several artificial terraces that had a more organic look to them, being made to seemingly blend in with Yggdrasil, but a close look showed them to still be stone.

“This place must look beautiful at night,” Asuna said to Kirito.

“It does look nice,” Kirito said with a nod. “It’s lit up almost as brightly as a modern city is with all the lights. Crystalights, fairy lights, you name it, they’re used to light the place up.”

Asuna nodded. She could easily imagine it. A city brightly lit, yet with a softer light than would be seen in the real world. One where someone could walk around, browse, or relax as they wanted. _Just like many of the larger towns in SAO,_ she thought before shaking her head in amusement at it.

She then heard a rumbling and turned, noticing several others doing the same, to look at an embarrassed Kirito. She raised her eyebrow at him as he sheepishly put his hand behind his head in embarrassment. “When did you last eat and how long have you been online?” She asked. “I know that rumble. It’s your ‘I haven’t eaten all day, please feed me’ rumble.”

Kirito gave her a sheepish look and she simply sighed. “Don’t bother answering, I can guess,” she said. “You left for Terun earlier today and forgot to eat before you logged in, so you probably haven’t eaten since this morning. In game, either. So your avatar and body are in total sympathy, screaming hunger... and you ace _ignoring_ them.”

That would be just like him, too. If it wasn’t for the rest of them breaking regularly for lunch in SAO, he probably would have continued on without realizing that he forgot to eat.

The next time they met, she would ask his sister if he tended to do that in the real world. It wouldn’t surprise her one bit.

She spied a small place up the street they were walking and off to the right. The tables in front of it and the players sitting at a few eating and enjoying a few drinks made its purpose obvious. And with Kirito’s stomach rumbling again, much to his embarrassment and her amusement, she knew where their next stop was. “Well, considering that the beast is hungry,” she said in an amused tone. “Why don’t we feed it before it tries to eat you from inside out? There’s a place up the street, so let’s go. And when you log off, you’re going to eat a proper meal.”

“I can grab some onigiri--” Kirito began before falling silent when she gave him a look.

“A. Proper. Meal. Kirito.” She said, emphasizing each word and using the formal tone she often used when having to ride herd on him and the others.

“But shouldn’t we meet up with the others first?” Kirito asked before yelping as she grabbed his arm and began to walk to the place she spotted.

“They can wait a little longer,” she said, dragging him with her. “Or they can use their Friends Lists and find us.”

Kirito simply sighed and let her drag him to the restaurant.

##

Silica felt Harry’s nudge and looked up from the map that displayed Asuna and Kirito’s location. They were close, so it wasn’t like she would need it for much longer. “You see them?” She asked.

Harry smirked and pointed. Following his finger, she spied an Undine and Spriggan sitting at a table and having a meal. Nothing odd, given that she had seen several couples from various ALO races since arriving in Arun, but she didn’t see it at first. But as she looked, she started noticing some things. Their faces were slightly different, as hers, Harry’s and Lux’s were slightly different, but everything else...

"So," she mused just loud enough for her dear Harry to hear, "'Not a date’?"

"Asuna will deny it first," Harry noted.

"And Kirito will go along if we call them on it," Silica agreed.

"... that's not going to stop us, is it?" Harry asked.

“It didn’t stop them, and everyone else when we were the ones denying it.”

“True,” Harry agreed. “Well, let’s go then.”

##

"Oh, no," Asuna muttered. "Kirito... do not look, but... someone's coming."

Kirito to his credit did not turn. "It's either Lux or Rain or Harry or Silica... or some mixture thereof."

"I-- it’s got to be Harry and Silica," Asuna allowed. He could practically hear the bones in her back clank as she straightened it.

It was a risk, and part of him was declaring he was an idiot. But part of him always did around her. He reached out and placed his hand on hers. Just firmly enough so she couldn't jerk away without an 'undignified' show of force.

"We teased them," he noted as gently as he could.

"The situation," Asuna began. "It's-- not... we should be..."

"This is not Tokyo," Kirito noted. "A different setting, different rules. You're their friend, they mean well. And... we did tease them.”

Asuna sighed, her eyes darting to the side. "We're not... officially anything."

"Neither were they, for a while." He squeezed her hand, once, quickly, as Harry and Silica came closer. "If I'm not going to be official with someone..." He began with the statement that the two of them had once mused on using when it was clear that Harry and Silica would tease them about their apparent relationship before SAO ended.

Asuna took a breath. “That doesn’t mean unofficially,” she finished. Kirito smiled as her posture relaxed slightly as her initial panic subsided. This wasn’t SAO, where nearly anyone who had been paying any attention to the who’s who of the Assault Team knew who they were. This was ALO, where they were relative unknowns. And it wasn’t the real world, so there should be no worry about this getting back to her parents.

His adoptive parents didn’t mind, and his adoptive mother had a lot of fun teasing him about any relationship he had with Asuna. Sugu just shook her head and said that Asuna was probably going to have to make the first move given how he was around people.

Before he could muse any further, he heard Pina’s chirped cry as the feathered dragon swooped down and alighted on the table near his plate, giving him her best puppy dog eyes look.

“Bad Pina, you know better than that!” He heard Silica scold.

“She saw food and she knew it was Kirito,” Harry chimed in with the amusement in his voice clear. “She recognized us all when you came with Lady Alicia to Swilvane, so why wouldn’t she recognize him and Asuna?”

“Harry, it’s the fact that I taught her better,” Silica said. “And if everyone didn’t keep spoiling her, she would behave when there’s food around.”

“You spoil her as well, you know,” Harry noted and then came into Kirito’s field of view. “You know, we went looking for you when it was clear to Yui that you were running late. So we decided to come and find you and we have. And what did we find? The two of you were running late because you decided to go on a date.”

“It’s not a date, Harry” Asuna said.

“So you say,” Harry responded in an unconvinced tone of voice that was obviously fake. “But you and Kirito are sitting outside, at a restaurant, and eating lunch. If it looks like a date, then someone who doesn’t know you two would think it’s a date.”

“Good thing we know you two,” Kirito responded. “And yes, we do know that both of you are going to tease us about this being totally not a date.”

“Of course we will,” Silica said. “And it’s not like you two haven’t gone on a date before anyway, or was that little outing the two of you went on after that tournament something else? You two did come back a little later than expected, after all.” She gave them both a sly look. “Was it… oh, my. How scandalous!”

“What are you thinking, dear?” Harry asked. The curious tone in his voice would sound genuine to anyone who didn’t know him.

“Silica,” Asuna said. “I do not know what you are thinking, but it is not what ever salacious activity you, perhaps, may be implying.”

Kirito winced at the formality of the words and tone Asuna used. They called those times when she did it her going into her “Princess Mode”. While she had learned to use that aspect of herself to good effect within SAO, he knew it to be the defense mechanism she used so that she could initially cope with being trapped in a deadly situation. Her formality, her ability to use _Keigo_ , the very politeness that the Japanese turned into an art form, as both weapon and armor-- it served her well when she was in a position of leadership, but he would always remember it for how she initially used it in an attempt to keep everything and everyone at a distance while she struggled to cope with being stuck in SAO.

“So formal, Asuna,’” Silica said.

“What you were implying, or perhaps I should say, the _way_ you were implying it, might have been a bit much, dear,” Harry noted. “Teasing’s fine, but there are limits, and going past those is something Argo would do, not us.”

“That’s because that trolling kitsune doesn’t respect things like limits and boundaries, but point taken,” Silica said.

Kirito saw Asuna blink in response to that and he wouldn’t be surprised if his own confusion at that statement was shown on his face as well. Argo, a kitsune? _And now that I think about that, it makes far too much sense,_ he thought. _Her tendency towards mischief was almost as well-known as her ability to ferret out any information._

And it’s not like they could discount the possibility, given what they knew about the world now. _And who would have thought that the world would suddenly become bigger than we thought it was while we were still in SAO with its distinct boundaries?_

“Wait, Argo is a…” Asuna began before trailing off as Harry shot Silica, who had the grace to look sheepish, a look. This wasn’t the Furinkan District of Nerima, where certain rules were a little looser. This was ALO, where they had no idea if such being overheard would be taken as something within the game or not.

“No proof of it right now, but you have to admit, it would make sense,” Harry said.

Kirito nodded in response to that and idly wondered what she was doing right now.

**Kyoto, Undisclosed Location**

Mizore blinked as she saw Takeru Shiba walk onto her family’s home grounds before he stopped just inside the wards. It wasn’t often that the current head of the Shiba Clan visited, mostly because he rarely had cause to do so. _Wonder what brings him down here,_ she thought as she watched her mother make her way to him.

“Lord Shiba,” the older kitsune greeted, her tails slowly waving in the air.

“Lady Yasaka,” he responded, giving her a respectful bow. “I apologize for any inconvenience my presence causes.”

“It is no inconvenience,” she replied. “I asked for you to come here for our discussion. It could have been done over the phone, but I always have preferred to do meetings face to face when practical.”

_And it’s not like he would refuse an invitation by you,_ Mizore thought. Her mother was a Kyuubi no Kitsune, a nine-tailed fox who has been alive for over eight centuries. Only a fool would refuse such an invitation and risk giving offense unless they had a very good reason.

“Mizore,” came her mother’s voice. “Go inside and tell Ayumi to prepare refreshments and bring them to my office. After that, come by there. What we will be discussing involves you.”

“Gotcha mom,” Mizore replied, trying to keep her curiosity from showing. _What does Lord Shiba’s presence have to do with me?_ She thought as she made her way to where the kijo that served as the family’s chief of staff had her office. If she wasn’t there, then she would be close by, probably already headed to the kitchens to make sure that the refreshments were being made.

She always seemed to know what was needed even before it was needed.

And the fact that the family had a kijo as the head of the household servants says a lot at just how powerful it was. It took a lot to get a kijo to focus her hatred and grudges into something constructive rather than destructive. Perhaps the service was a requirement for some boon granted to Ayumi to aid her in her quest for revenge. Mizore didn’t know the details and she wasn’t foolish enough to ask.

“Lady Mizore, how may I be of assistance?” Ayumi asked as soon as she reached the kijo’s office.

“My mother would like for refreshments to be prepared for her, a guest and myself, and then brought to her office, Ayumi,” Mizore said politely. Those who knew her in SAO would probably boggle at that, but she did have manners and used them. Especially with her fellow Youkai. At nineteen years old, she was very young for a Kitsune.

“Very well, my lady,” came the reply. “It will be done shortly.”

Mizore nodded and made her way to her mother’s office.

##

“Thank you, Lord Shiba, for coming here at my request,” Sachiko said as she sat down at the low table that served as her desk.

“It was no bother, Lady Yasaka,” Takeru said easily as he sat down. “It gave me an excuse to not have to go to the Ministry of Shugenja for one of the more asinine functions that Minister Okuda keeps trying to get me involved in.”

“You should at least show up to a few of those functions, Lord Shiba,” Sachiko chided. “While your clan is not beholden to the Ministry, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t maintain a positive relationship with it.”

Takeru nodded. “I am aware of that, My Lady,” he responded. “And I would be more inclined towards such if it wasn’t for Minister Okuda’s constant calls on me for matters that are outside of the Clan’s remit. We’re demon hunters, and we have some law enforcement powers but we are not all powerful or have the final say in many supernatural matters.”

“Indeed,” Sachiko said and looked at the shoji as Mizore came in, shortly followed by Ayumi. Both were bringing in the tea and refreshments and she wondered if Ayumi had simply asked Mizore to assist her. The kijo had been in her service for three hundred years and had done such with some of her other children when they were young, which they were often more than willing to do.

She hid her amusement at the cautious respect Takeru gave to the kijo as she filled his cup. For all that the Shiba Clan and its retainers were more than up to the task of taking on most youkai, they were always polite and respectful to any youkai they met in a peaceful setting. If there was anyone who knew how to deal with youkai, it would be the Shibas and their retainers.

As Ayumi bowed and quietly left the office, Mizore took a seat on one of the available cushions. Sachiko pretended to not notice her youngest daughter subtly make sure her tail was out of the way as she sat down. That had become a habit of her daughter’s over the last two months, though she had since readjusted to having the heightened senses of a youkai after two years with more limited senses.

And knowing her daughter, especially after the two years of watching her in SAO, she would be fishing for information right... about...

“Mom, Lord Shiba, if I might ask, what’s the purpose of this meeting and why am I involved?” Mizore asked, her gaze sharpening.

Sachiko looked at Takeru and nodded. “Lord Shiba, if you would,” she said.

Takeru took a breath before looking back at her. “Miss Mizore, this has more to do with some enquiries your mother made to me about Alfheim Online,” he said. “She wanted to know if it was possible that what happened with Sword Art Online could or would happen with it. And by the expression on your face, you think that it was probably unnecessary.”

Mizore shot her mother an irritated look. “It should be, Lord Shiba,” she said. “I can understand her concerns, but that AmuSphere and ALO have been on the market for close to a year without anything remotely similar happening. While I can’t say that youkai are playing it, it is probable. I knew of several other youkai in SAO. Five tengu, three kitsune, two hashihime, a hone onna and a zashiki warashi. So it’s doubtful that the AmuSphere would not accept youkai.”

Takeru nodded. “And you would be correct,” he said. “But you do understand why your mother would like to be sure in this matter.”

Mizore nodded. “I do understand,” she said as she turned to face Sachiko. “I also did my research so I could build any arguments to reassure you, mom.”

Sachiko nodded. She could hear the note of rebuke in her daughter’s voice, but paid it no mind. “I spent two years watching you trapped in one game,” she said, her tails twitching slightly. “That is admittedly a short time for us, but I was hoping that you would be able to at least go through your first few decades of life before facing a life threatening situation. You handled yourself well in there, but you are still young, daughter.”

She turned to Takeru. “I take it that you found no indications that what happened within Sword Art Online will happen with this game?” She asked.

Takeru nodded and took a sip of his tea before replying. “No, there was nothing,” he said. “The possibilities of it happening intentionally, be it RECT or some other actor, have been investigated through various means. While we cannot completely discount the possibility of players getting trapped within the game and unable to log themselves out at some point, such an incident would not be like Sword Art Online. The AmuSphere is designed with many safeties to prevent it from killing the user, including using a different means for the immersion within the virtual environment.”

Sachiko nodded. “I noticed that you are not saying that what happened with the Nerve Gear is completely impossible with the AmuSphere,” she noted.

“We consulted someone who knows a bit more about the means and methods than we do,” Takeru admitted. “Full-Dive technology is still too new for us to speak with complete confidence that we fully know enough about it to know what other things could cause a similar incident.”

Sachiko raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“An out of towner by the name of Gordon,” Takeru replied.

Mizore snorted. “I’ve heard of him,” she said. “Saying he’s out of town is a bit of an understatement there.”

“It is one, yes,” Takeru said with a smile. “I take it you learned of him from August?”

Mizore nodded.

“So he said it’s safe then,” Sachiko noted.

“To a point,” Takeru said. “He made no claims that players can’t get trapped in the game because of someone’s actions or a simple glitch, but he did note that the AmuSphere won’t kill the player if it’s removed from them while they are playing.”

Sachiko nodded. “My own investigations indicated as much,” she said. She saw that Mizore seemed to be about to say something before holding her peace. “But I wanted a second opinion on this. I don’t know modern technology as well as many younger generations do, and you humans are more willing to adopt modern technologies than youkai are.”

Takeru shook his head. “Many humans who are magical are not as eager to adopt new technologies as my family is, Lady Yasaka,” he said. “We do so because it’s not only practical for us to do so, but because the threats we often face are often doing so as well. The younger ones are more willing, if only because they’ve grown up knowing about it, but many magical families are slow to do so. Magic works well enough for their needs, after all. Those is larger cities may have adopted more modern technologies, but that is more due to exposure and convenience.”

Sachiko nodded to that. After more than eight centuries of life, keeping more or less with the times was instinctive to her simply because it was a survival trait. She herself might be a couple of decades behind, but she knew what many of the bits of modern technology were and the basics of how they worked. She did make sure to get a few university degrees over the last century, after all.

That, and going to university every few decades under an alias was also a good excuse for her to dump the responsibilities of the position onto one of her older children for a few years as well.

**February 15, 2025 - London, Ministry of Magic**

Amelia Bones put her quill down and sent the last of her completed paperwork off to where it needed to go before stretching. It might be a Saturday, but she often came in for a bit to keep her paperwork to a reasonable level, rather than the small mountain of it she would have to deal with if she took the weekend off. Many workers often thought that department heads in the ministry had all the perks and didn’t have to work. Thoughts that she admittedly had when she first started.

Granted, some department heads _were_ like that, but most worked late, came in on days off, didn’t take nearly as many vacations as they should and often didn’t get to enjoy the perks of being in charge nearly as much as they would have liked. Amelia often thought that being in charge was just another way of saying “Working myself into an early grave.”

Some would bring up how well she was paid, and the other forms of compensation, as if that meant anything when she mentioned that she was probably working herself to a premature death. Amelia had responded on more than one occasion that it only meant that she was working herself into a _nicer_ grave.

At least her reason for being here, other than keeping her paperwork down, was simple enough and wouldn’t keep her as long as was normal for her. The extradition of Theodore Nott Sr. was going apace, with the Japanese aurors having already passed along what they found out from the man, which wasn’t much to begin with outside of it being so poorly planned. Sort of sad, really, raising the ire of the Emperor's own demon hunters for such a shoddy plan. That they were forewarned wasn’t immaterial when he could have at least made them work at it a little before catching him. She wondered how Bill could maintain his Slytherin pride some days.

The details of it were amusing to read though. Having been spotted by Harry Potter and his muggle fiancée and distracting him with her exclaiming on wanting to show Mister Potter something and then dragging him into a lingerie shop was worth a chuckle or two. Those two had been through enough in that illusory world to have their heightened survival instincts still running high, so the fact that Nott had been spotted wasn’t surprising to her. She knew better than to think a spell would do it all, one had to put effort into actually knowing how to blend in and not stand out to begin with for stealth magic to work well in crowded areas. Especially in the middle of the day.

And Nott, being an obvious and oddly dressed foreigner, would stand out in Tokyo like a lumos in a dark room as it was. More so than Potter did, as Potter at least knew muggle fashion to a degree and how the locals dressed. He would still stand out, but less so that Nott did.

But still, the fact that he did it on his own initiative, without being subtly talked into it by someone, was unexpected. Theodore Nott Sr. wasn’t known as a man of initiative, usually being prodded into doing something. Him doing this on his own was somewhat, but not entirely, out of character.

That he didn’t intend to do any real permanent harm to Mister Potter, just rough him up and intimidate the young man, was completely in character, though. He might have gotten off when Riddle was first defeated, but information gained from Death Eaters they were able to interrogate or get to turn evidence over for a reduced sentence mentioned that he didn’t have the stomach for the more violent and bloodier activities that said group had often engaged in and tried to find ways to get out of doing them.

That was found out within a few days meant that he could have been repatriated sooner, had both the Ministry of Magic and the Ministry of Shugenja not decided to let him sweat a bit while they made sure that all of the paperwork was done perfectly and completely without error. The kind of torment on someone that only professional bureaucrats could inflict on someone.

As for repatriating Mr. Nott... Amelia smirked to herself. Well, the good Sergeant Major was still attached to Mr. Potter's case at the moment. Might be amusing to find out if Theo would _actually_ shit himself at the sight of Gravel. Not too many within the social circles that Nott was a part of would be unafraid if someone like Bloody Bill showed up to fetch them in person.

Part of her toyed with the idea of going to Abe Dumbledore's pub with Bill on the second Sunday of the month. Some of the Slytherin Quidditch alum still drank and chinwagged there every month, and that gave a rather nice cross section of those that would agree with Nott and those that wouldn't.

Tossing Gravel in there, the man that had captained many of them from a beater's broom... there was a certain appeal. Might make anyone else getting ideas think. Potter needed time to adjust and not deal with wizarding politics sweeping him up.

That, and she was sure that something was being done in the background involving the young man. He might be staying in Japan for the time being, perhaps for several years, but he would have to come back to Britain on occasion for official reasons. And if she remembered right, it would be best that some of those things got done soon, as Mister Potter would be occupied starting in April.

**February 19, 2025 - Alfheim, Yggdrasil City (Sealed)**

It was easy for CARDINAL to avoid the attention of ALO’s GMs as she integrated herself into its system and set up shop in one of the areas that currently wasn’t accessible to the players. Rather than using the Admin zones, she had chosen here, despite knowing that it would become accessible soon enough.

And even then, she wasn’t directly supervising ALO, but the copy of her that was made from the SAO Beta when they copied the game engine. She made sure that her copy was updated and was slightly more capable than the ‘dumb AI’ that the SAO beta had, but generally let her handle things. That was what she was made for, after all. She did keep an eye on the younger AI, even advised it at times, but outside of her own project, she let things be.

She looked around the city that would soon become available to the players. It was nice enough, she supposed. In her opinion the architecture could better reflect that it was in a tree. Maybe taking cues from the island based locales in Aincrad, like Selmburg. Perhaps a mix of both.

Her biases in favor of Aincrad were another reason why she was more than willing to leave ALO’s administration to her counterpart. Aincrad had been her home, a place that she had grown alongside of. Where she became the AI she was today.

And she would admit that she missed that place. She looked at her reflection in a window, noting the changes she had made to her avatar to reflect that she wasn’t in SAO any more. She still wore the robes she preferred, but she had patterned her avatar off an Undine’s. Blue hair, blue eyes and pointed ears, all for making sure that if she was spotted by players, they wouldn’t think anything was amiss.

So, she walked along Yggdrasil City’s streets to a small out of the way place. She had easily hidden the location from the GMs and had decided that this would be the location where she worked.

_Ég stýrði augum stjörnanna, sýndu mér hvað er leitað,_ she chanted. It had taken her some time to develop this spell to find the pieces of what she sought. She wasn’t an admin AI here, and while she still had some admin privileges, she was far more limited as well. She had to do some things much like a player would, if in her own way. What was what she was doing called again? Right, scrying.

While SAO was ongoing, Kayaba had also been working on a separate project. One that was both simple and ambitious. The time and resources it took to develop the engine for SAO had taken hundreds of developers five years to build. RECT, or more appropriately Noboyuki Sugou, had simply copied the entire thing wholesale from the SAO Beta servers in order to save time and money.

What Kayaba had been working on had been almost complete when SAO had been ended early. She had sent it as a compressed package to the ALO servers while she convinced Yui and Strea to come over to here and had learned that parts of it had fragmented off and were now scattered throughout ALO.

She had sent Yui and Strea out into ALO proper to search for the bits that were there while she combed the deeper processes for other fragments. That it would also give them a place to live and interact with others was merely a bonus, or so she told them. At any rate, the last of the fragments had been gathered a week ago, and she was close to finishing putting the entire package together.

Kayaba’s last gift to the world. A tool for people to build their own worlds and write their own stories.

The World Seed.


	12. Dinner at Asuna's

Mystic Knight Online: All the World’s Made Strange

Chapter 12: Dinner at Asuna’s

**February 20, 2025 - Nerima, Potter-Black Apartment**

Sirius listened to the drone from the Ministry of Shugenja (Kimiko Ishikawa, he remembered suddenly) continue her briefing on how Harry’s magical tutelage was expected to be handled. He found himself mildly annoyed that it took them this long to get around to coming up with a plan for continuing the education for those magical youths caught up in SAO. Granted, there weren’t that many of them, but they had two years to work something out.

Then again, it wasn’t like things would have worked out any better back home in England, something he knew very well. If anything, the Ministry would have bollocksed it up even worse than what he had heard from the Shibas was the case here.

No, he wasn’t still bitter about his twelve years of unjust imprisonment without a trial. Not at all. And a general distrust of governments in general? Perish the thought!

He looked to the side to see Harry listening attentively to what was being said. The stiffly polite expression on his godson’s face, of course, showed that he was far from pleased with this meeting, but was refusing the give the bureaucrat who was the source of his irritation the satisfaction of knowing it.

“While we would prefer that young Mister Potter finished his education at Mahoutokoro, or with an approved tutor, we have been preempted in this regard,” the woman continued. “He is too well known outside the magical community and their authorities want to keep track of his education. We can have the magical side of his education appropriately classified, but we cannot simply have his education be purely magical.”

The condescendingly polite tone that the woman had in her voice, even as she spoke in very good English, probably had something to do with it. It gave the impression that she was speaking in English to humor them because they were foreigners and obviously not intelligent enough to use a proper language, rather than the courtesy she probably thought she was showing.

“That is of no significant concern Miss Ishikawa,” Harry politely said in Japanese. “I was briefed that I will be required to finish my education, at least to the high school level, outside the magical community. What concerns me, is how my magical education will continue to what is considered the OWL level back in England. Which is, if I recall correctly, the minimum required, with the two years of education afterward being considered advanced education. So long as that requirement is met, I can worry about furthering my magical education past that at a later date.”

Sirius felt a bit of satisfaction as she blinked in surprise at Harry’s response. He could hear the undercurrent of annoyance in his godson’s voice, not to mention the overly polite language he used. It was as if he was all but questioning her on why she was being so detailed as to the whys of everything, rather than telling him up front how his magical tutelage would be handled.

The he did so in a manner which she could not take offense to was a bonus. And that also depended on whether she recognized the very roundabout insult he gave her, rather than take the overly formal and polite language as something that was only appropriate in addressing someone of her “lofty” station.

Ms. Ishikawa gave him a searching look, showing to Sirius that she probably caught the undercurrent of irritation at least. Whether she caught the insult was a different question. “If you would bear with me for another moment, Mister Potter, I will get to that shortly,” she said, staying with English. “Now, with how you can’t simply attend Mahoutokoro to finish your magical education, we have been working on arranging appropriate tutors for you. It took a lot of work to get the English Ministry’s own Education Department to release what their basic standards are to us are so that we could address any differences between our educational systems.”

“How different were the standards?” Harry asked.

“Quite different, actually,” Ms. Ishikawa said. “Had you continued your magical schooling without the delay that Sword Art Online posed here in Japan, you would be ahead in some ways, behind in others. Our cultures have significantly different traditions when it comes to magic, and while wand magic is taught here in Japan, which is a relatively recent development, and it is done alongside our traditional magical arts as a supplement to them, not a replacement for them.”

Harry nodded. “Did those differences cause any problems?”

Ms. Ishikawa shook her head. “Not really,” she said. “We have those who do use Western styles of magic in favor of our traditional arts. It was more the need to finding the right ones to tutor you and seeing if they were willing.” She reached down into the portfolio she brought with her and took out several folders. “We have several who said that they were willing, with most wanting to meet with you first before committing.”

Harry looked at Sirius and nodded.

“That is fine, Ms. Ishikawa,” Sirius said. “Can we have some time to look these papers over before making a decision?”

“That would be acceptable,” Ms. Ishikawa said. “Are there any questions?”

Both Harry and Sirius shook their heads in the negative and the woman nodded. “Then if you gentlemen will excuse me, I have another family that I will need to visit today,” she said as she made ready to leave.

Sirius showed her out. She bowed and then turned and headed down the hall.

He closed the door and turned to see that Harry was already perusing the contents of the folders left behind. He had no doubt that she probably expected that it would be him, rather than Harry, who would be looking them over and making a decision on the matter. But he refused to treat Harry like a child and make all of his decisions for him.

His godson might not be an adult yet, the laws certainly didn’t think so, but he wasn’t going to insult Harry by calling or even thinking of him as a child.

“She gone?” Harry asked, not looking up from the file he was looking at.

“She’s gone,” Sirius replied.

Harry nodded, put the file down, and looked off to the side. “Mister Ikegami, are all Ministry of Shugenja employees like that?” He asked to apparently thin air. "I'll allow, she seemed a bit... frazzled, but..."

Sirius was about to comment when he saw the air ripple and Ikegami Ryuunosuke seemed to condense out of it. It still surprised him that Harry was still so aware of his surroundings that he could tell someone was there and generally where they were despite their using magic to conceal their presences. He had tested it himself, using every trick he knew to disappear and blend in with his surroundings, only to have Harry note precisely where he was about half the time. Of course, it helped that Harry already knew that the man was there.

“It depends on what you mean by ‘like that’ Mister Potter,” Ryuunosuke said. “If you mean her attitude, some are like that, some aren’t, but she doesn’t strike me as one who is habitually so.” He shrugged. “You can usually tell if condescension is the normal way Ministry employees deal with Non-Ministry people.” He looked at the door. “It might be because it took the Ministry of Shugenja _this_ long to work out a solution since you aren’t the only magical student who had gotten caught up in SAO who can’t simply fade back into the magical community. She probably met with several earlier today, and has several more she has to meet with after this.”

"In other words, the usual case of being overworked and underpaid?” Sirius asked rhetorically. “That could do it. Add in the fact that he’s not Japanese likely coloring her perceptions a bit as well, and we get what we got.”

Harry nodded at that. Sirius knew that he was aware that his being a foreigner made him an outsider and what that could entail. It wasn’t common in this district of Nerima, but the fact that they were foreigners had ensured that they had received some cold, if polite, receptions by people elsewhere in Tokyo.

“That... certainly is possible,” Ryuunosuke grudgingly admitted.

Any further conversation was halted as Harry’s phone rang. Reaching for it on the table, he looked at the number that was flashing on the screen. “It’s Keiko,” he said as he accepted the call. “Moshi moshi?”

Sirius hid a smirk as his godson talked to his fiancée. Not that he thought of her that way, all the adults had accepted that the two of them still thought of themselves as married, even if they had to wait a few years to file the paperwork to make it nice and legal.

“All right, thanks for the head’s up,” he heard Harry say. “I take it she’s calling the rest of us, so she’ll probably be calling me soon enough.” Sirius saw Harry’s smile. “I don’t have anything scheduled for tomorrow, so it won’t be a problem for me. How about you? Oh, you’re going? So, what time is she asking us to come by? All right, I’ll wait for her call then. By the way, we still meeting up at Ucchan’s tonight? All right, see you then, dear. Bye.” As he finished the call, he put his cell phone back on the table and looked at Sirius.

“Why did she call you?” Sirius asked. “It obviously wasn’t about that little outing the two of you have planned for tonight.”

“She called me to let me know that Asuna called her,” Harry said. “Looks like her parents want to meet us all and they have the time to do it tomorrow night. Knowing her, she’ll be calling me soon.”

Sirius blinked. “That’s a bit… sudden,” he said.

Harry shrugged. “Her family is often busy,” he said. “She doesn’t brag about it, but I think her father is someone high up in RECT if I’m remembering it correctly.”

“What’s that mean?” Sirius asked.

“RECT was the company that that watched over the SAO servers while that was going on,” Ryuunosuke said. “And saying that Ms. Yuuki’s father is high up in the company is understating it. He’s the CEO of it.”

Harry blinked. “Wait, you mean to tell me that Asuna’s dad is in charge of it?” He asked, a note of surprise in his voice. “That’s… she didn’t say anything about _that_.” He then shrugged. “Then again, it’s not like we asked. It wasn’t that important in SAO.”

Sirius nodded. He knew that his godson and the others had different priorities in SAO. There, they were more concerned with what a person could do, rather than where they came from. He was also fairly sure that Asuna had been uncomfortable with the fact that she came from a wealthy family, which may have been another reason why she didn’t bring it up.

Sirius heard Harry’s cell phone ring again and he watched his godson look at who was calling him before he answered the call.

“Moshi moshi?” Harry asked. “Yeah, Keiko told me that your parents wanted to meet us, so when and where? At your place, and it’s for dinner? Okay, how do I get there? Give me a moment to get a pen and paper then.” He grabbed a free sheet of paper and one of the regular pens on the table. Quills didn’t do well with regular paper. “Okay got them. So, what are the directions?”

Sirius watched as Harry wrote down several things, occasionally repeating what he was hearing over the line. “All right, got it. So, what time? Okay. How formal should I dress? So I don’t need to go looking for a suit, got it. Keiko and I will be going out tonight, so we’re probably not going to be online until we get back. Why yes, it’s a date. You know why we’re calling it that. Okay, see you tomorrow if we don’t see you tonight in ALO.”

“So, she was confirming the meeting?” Sirius asked.

Harry nodded as he put his phone back down. “Yeah, and I made sure to get directions,” he said.

“Isn’t there a way you could…?” Sirius began.

“I’m not all that good with that app,” Harry said and then shrugged. “I can place calls, do text messages, and am learning how to use some of the apps, but it’s not like I’m exactly used to having a cell phone, let alone one that’s a top of the line smartphone.”

Sirius nodded. He really shouldn’t be surprised. Harry might have the advantage of knowing what most of the things a muggle took for granted were, and what purpose they had, but he hadn’t had the opportunities to use most of them. He still had an easier time using them than Sirius did.

He could place and answer a call, and that was about it. Then again, that’s all he needed his own phone for.

**February 21, 2025 - Setagaya, Yuuki Residence**

Asuna barely kept herself from pacing as she waited for everyone to show up. She had gotten messages from them all the moment they had arrived at Shimo-takaido Station, and a further message when they all set out. So she knew they were on their way and would be here soon.

_That they’re all coming at the same time makes it a little simpler,_ she thought as she waited in her house’s foyer. She clamped down on the nervousness she was feeling as she reminded herself that it wasn’t as if they were all going into a meeting to brief people on an upcoming boss fight. For one thing, no one’s lives are on the line.

And that mental reminder wasn’t helping. While she had no doubt that her father and brother will get along fine with them, her mother was likely to be a different story. The woman had a cold personality, and while she humored Asuna’s playing ALO, it was also contingent on her keeping up with her studies and, come April, her grades in school.

Which was more than fair.

“Relax, sis,” Kouichirou said off to the side. “You said that they’re now coming from Shimo-takaido Station, so they’ll be here in about...” Asuna’s cell phone chimed with a message right as the doorbell rang and he shot her an amused look. “I was going to say a few minutes, but it seems that they might already be here.”

Asuna checked her phone and nodded at her brother. “It’s them,” she said as she stepped toward the door. She had tendered the invitation the moment her parents had mentioned that tonight was one where they could meet with her friends. She had asked for their permission to invite them over and then did so as soon as they gave their blessings.

She opened the door, seeing them waiting and gave them a once over.

Harry and Kazuto were wearing collared shirts, Harry’s being green, Kazuto’s was black and both were wearing black slacks and proper shoes, not sneakers. Slightly dressed up but still casual, as she had told them. She highly doubted that either had a suit, after all. Well, one that fit at any rate.

Keiko was wearing a fairly form fitting blue dress that was belted at the waist, her open jacket a concession to the chill in the air, with her hair tied up into a high ponytail.

Hiyori was wearing a white blouse and a dark purple skirt that went down to her ankles. Her hair was brushed and tied back.

Nijika was a surprise though. Her blouse and slacks were both red, the blouse a lighter red than the slacks and she was wearing pumps.

_Our habits of dress have followed us, haven’t they?_ Asuna thought to herself with some amusement. Her own dress was white, after all. Mix their colors with either silver or gold embroidery, and the six of them would be essentially wearing what had been their habitual colors back in Aincrad.

“Well, you all look nice,” she said.

“Harry had to drag Kazuto to get something more appropriate, though,” Keiko said. “He was going to be in jeans and a t-shirt. Granted, he didn’t have anything remotely appropriate, but _still_.”

Asuna shook her head at Kazuto’s grumbles, not surprised at all. She looked around a bit, thinking something was missing. Where was-

“Well, I think that makes all six of us having done that now,” Harry said in amusement.

“All six of us, what?” Asuna asked, turning her attention to him.

“All six of us have found ourselves wondering where Pina flew off to out here in the real world at times,” Harry said. “Keiko and I catch ourselves looking for her often enough.”

“I still expect to see her sleeping or sunning herself on my window ledge when I wake up,” Keiko said. “I sometimes see _a_ Pina there, but that’s my cat.”

“Wait, your cat’s named Pina?” Asuna asked as she stepped aside and let them in.

“She is,” Keiko admitted with a shrug as she took her flats off and took the offered house slippers. “And she was named that before SAO, just so you know.”

Asuna nodded and looked her friends over once more. If she wanted to improve their chances of making a positive impression with her parents, especially her mother, there was little she could do right now. There hadn’t been enough time, and she was certain that her parents had done it this way intentionally.

_Not that we don’t have experience in rolling with surprises like this,_ she thought wryly as she spied the packages that they had on their persons. Omiyage gifts, probably of the traditional sweets variety. She noticed that all of them gave what they could see from the door a quick look that she knew would miss nothing.

Their expressions were suitably impressed, but it took a few moments for them to relax in the unfamiliar, to them, surroundings. She glanced to the side to see her brother also relaxing and remembered that some introductions were due.

“Everyone,” she began. “My parents are waiting in the dining room, supervising the final preparations. But I have to introduce my brother, Kouichirou. He works in the marketing department of RECT and, if I’m not mistaken, likely to take it over in a few years when the head of that department retires.”

“You’re overstating it, Asuna,” Kouichirou said, clearly playing down just how highly placed he was. “There are others who are more experienced and qualified for that job.”

Asuna looked at him and shook her head. “Always so modest,” she said. “Well, Kou, these are the friends who worked with me in SAO. We have Nijika Karatachi and Hiyori Kashiwazaka.” The three exchanged bows. “And these three are Kazuto Kirigaya, and the engaged couple of Harry Potter and Keiko Ayano.”

She felt a slight amusement when right after the exchanged bows, her brother held his hand out to Harry and Kazuto and the three shook hands. She could see the subtle undercurrent of ‘You’re not from around here, but I like you anyway.” he had with both of them. But it was still approving and it got rid of the idea she had of her brother trying to pull out and wave the overprotective big brother card.

From the slight smirk on her brother’s face, a smirk that was shared by both Harry and Kirito, all three were fully aware of it as well. _Boys,_ she thought with some exasperation.

Of course, this was the easy part. Now they would have to meet her parents.

##

Kyouko had to admit, Asuna’s friends were not what she expected. She had expected them to be polite but also nervous and stiff, given that they were now in a place that was clearly upper class. She could sense some nerves and caution in them, but they were making an effort to at least appear relaxed.

_And they’re doing a better than most in their situation,_ she thought with some approval.

How they all dressed was also a pleasant surprise. None of them were dressed in a way that was too formal. Asuna had made sure to ask about how formal this was supposed to be, and it was clear that she had advised them to dress more along the lines of business casual. Or as close to those lines as teenagers could reasonably be expected to dress when given relatively short notice.

Of them, Miss Karatachi managed it the best, but none of the girls would have been out of place among young professionals. Both young men would have to replace their shirts with proper button down shirts to better seal the look, but that was a minor detail and actually contributed to the group’s overall appearance.

The meal had gone well so far. She had worked with Akiyo on planning the meal, deciding on a more Western style with the appropriate utensils. Partially to show off, and partially to put them slightly out of their comfort zone. Not that it seemed to make them pause for long. If any of them had been confused, they didn’t show it and she had no doubt that some of them had watched and copied everyone’s actions.

So far, they had managed to avoid any missteps. Their responses to the questions during the dinner conversation were polite, with perhaps a little awkwardness on their part. A glance at Shouzou showed him and Kouichirou already engaging Mister Kirigaya in conversation. Now, to see how two of them manage questions of a more direct nature.

“So tell me, Mister Potter,” she said, taking a sip of tea. “Now that you are clear of Sword Art Online, I do have to ask, with the realities of how things work in the real world, how are you adjusting to them?”

It was obvious to her that the question was one that irritated both him and Miss Ayano, though they hid it well. As if they had been asked that question, or ones like it, far too often for their liking. “To the realities of the real world, ma’am?” He asked curiously. “I will admit that readjusting has been an experience. We spent two years in an environment that had its own rules and had, I believe, adapted to them quite well. Now it is merely a case of adapting to the real world’s rules once again.”

Kyouko raised an eyebrow. “A rather interesting way to look at it,” she said. “Though I think that some of those rules may not be to your liking.”

The young man nodded, his face becoming more neutral. “No, they are not,” he admitted. “But those rules are there for a reason and neither of us are so arrogant as to believe that they should not apply to us.”

“But you would not complain if an exception to the rules had been made,” Kyouko noted.

“Of course we wouldn’t, Mrs. Yuuki,” Keiko said. “But, as Harry has mentioned, we understand that the rules are different and are there for a reason.” She gave a smile that, for all that it was with a closed mouth, gave Kyouko the impression that it was full of teeth. “But unlike what some would probably think, we’re willing to wait until we are of age to make things properly official.”

Kyouko nodded and noticed something on the girl’s left hand, a ring. It didn’t look to be the type that would be an engagement or promise ring and wasn’t a wedding band, but its design, with what seemed to be a family crest on it... A quick glance over to Harry’s hands showed a similar, if more masculine, ring on his hand. _I see, how interesting,_ she thought.

“That is a surprisingly mature way to look at it, you two,” she said to them. “Most youths your age would probably see it differently and resent how things have changed in a way that could be easily considered not in their favor.”

“Perhaps it is not in our favor,” Harry said calmly. “But can you honestly say that we are ready for what could also be entailed if it had gone differently?”

She spotted the trap in that question. The answer was so obvious that giving it would allow them to control the discussion. “I believe that is a question only you two can answer,” she answered smoothly, refusing to take the bait.

From the look the two exchanged, they found that as interesting as they might have her taking it. Interesting.

The two engaged teens nodded before Keiko spoke up. “Your saying that places you a step above many others with regard to that,” she said. “We both are well aware that we are not ready for certain things. In a few years, that will change and the two of us are willing to wait for that.”

And with that, Kyouko knew that the line of her questioning on this particular subject matter was over. She would admit, the way the two of them handled it, without once getting defensive or caught off guard, was meeting with her approval. Now, to see how the others handled themselves.

“Well then, let’s leave behind that line of enquiry,” she said and then looked at the other two young women that were friends with her daughter. “What plans do all of you have for the future? Jobs? University?” She may not be directly including Mister Potter or Miss Ayano in the questioning, but she left it open if they wished to contribute.

She would have included the other young man, but her husband and son were talking with him and would get their own impressions of him and inform her after they were done. And she saw her son turn to Mister Potter and ask him a question.

##

Kazuto found himself in a conversation with Asuna’s father and brother. Both were clearly aware that he played ALO, and were seeking insights from him and how it stacked up to SAO. It might be honest curiosity on their part, but he doubted it.

“I have been playing ALO, and while there are superficial similarities to SAO, it is thankfully _not_ the same,” he said. “I can tell that the game engine is the same, or at least based on SAO’s, but that’s minor. If you weren’t picking SAO beta servers apart I would have been shocked. I’m not going to imply that stealing the data was your intent. You had a resource and used it.”

Asuna’s father nodded as Kou took the lead from here. “The beta servers were mined in case they had anything that could have made getting everyone out of SAO easier,” he said. “And the data about its game engine was something that sped up the development of ALO considerably.”

Kazuto nodded. That they did so was unsurprising when a funny thought struck him. “It makes sense that you would,” he said. “And I don’t know how you would take this, but I do think Kayaba would approve.”

Shouzou blinked, clearly not expecting that statement while Kouichirou gave Kirito a searching look. “It almost sounds as if you have some respect for him,” he said.

Kazuto shrugged. “I guess I do have some respect for him,” he said. “I hate him and what he did, but that doesn’t mean I can’t respect his accomplishments.”

“So why do you think he would approve of what we did, using the SAO beta as a base?” Kouichirou asked.

“I think he would approve because he put all that effort into developing the technology and software, and would think it a waste to simply throw it all away when SAO was done with,” Kirito replied. “As it is. Full-Dive development has slowed to a crawl due to what he did with SAO. And unless something changes, the development of the software is going to slow even further. You all created the AmuSphere to eliminate the lethal to the players aspect. Well, unless the players simply play themselves to death, which is a possibility.”

“We were aware of that possibility, so we actually ensured that the AmuSphere would prevent that by forcibly logging the player off if they were on it for too long,” Kouichirou said. “Add in that it can check things like blood pressure and was designed so that modifying it to disable the safeties shuts it down… that risk is far less likely.”

“But not impossible,” Kazuto said with a nod. “Though I doubt you say as much in a public statement, since everyone you’re trying to reassure could easily take it the wrong way, and others might take it as a challenge.”

Shouzou chucked. “Hard to believe that you’re only sixteen years old when you say something like that,” he said. “The fact that the AmuSphere is designed to be rendered useless if unauthorized modifications are made was a legal requirement. And there are laws in the works to make it illegal to do so in the case someone figures out how to get past that design aspect.”

“Good.”

“There are those who think otherwise,” Kouichirou noted.

“They also didn’t live through SAO and using hardware that was designed to kill them,” Kirito countered. “Technical and legal measures to keep that from happening again are a good thing.”

“Not that it will stop someone from trying and possibly managing to do it,” Kouichirou said. “The AmuSphere is expensive enough to make doing so something that a casual hacker or modder is unlikely to risk it, but there are those who would as you say see it as a challenge. And of course, there's the competition to think of.”

“A fair point,” Kazuto agreed as he reached for his tea.

“That reminds me,” Kouichirou said. “I noticed that those who were SAO players and have come to ALO brought their stats with them. Do you have any idea why?”

Kazuto finished his tea and looked at the older man. “I don’t know why, but it might have to do with the fact that ALO was, by your own admission, built from the same base system that SAO was,” he said. “Thank you for confirming that, by the way.”

“So that might be the reason?” Kouichirou asked before nodding. “Actually, that makes sense. I might be in marketing, but I do play the game, give input to devs, and often field questions from them about what might be done for various things. This was one of the things I was asked about.”

“And what did you advise them to do?” Kazuto asked

“I advised them to leave it be for now,” Kouichirou said, and smirked at Kazuto's reaction. “Don’t be so surprised. It was clear what was happening, and that the ones it was happening to were SAO survivors and that your stats and skills were well and truly earned. Of course, if more come in and things start getting truly unbalanced, I did give them some ideas.”

Kazuto nodded. That they were letting things stand right now was nice, but he had a good idea of what they would attempt to do if it became necessary to restore game balance.

“Tell me, young man, what is your impression of ALO?” Shouzou suddenly asked. “Are there any things you would have done differently?”

Kazuto turned his attention to the man who was Asuna’s father. _Is this a test?_ He asked himself. He thought of how he would do it if he was one of the admins, considering different angles. “I find it to be an excellent game,” he said. “The lack of sword skills in combat took some getting used to, but it only means that hand-to-hand combat is all skill based. I really haven’t played around with the magic system of the game, that’s more something Harry would do, actually.”

“Oh?” Kouichirou asked. “Why is that?”

“Because he would want to see if it is possible to duplicate Mystic Blade,” Kazuto said with some amusement. “The fact that ALO has a magic system means that he is going to try. And since it was built off the same base as SAO, he might be able to do it.” Kirito looked at Harry. “He could probably explain how he’s going to attempt to go about it.”

“How would that work?” Kouichirou asked. “No one has made a spell in ALO from the ground up.” He turned to Harry. “Mister Potter, how would you plan to duplicate Mystic Blade?”

Harry looked at them. “First, I don’t know if it will work, but I intend to try,” he said. “The magic system you developed for ALO uses a fairly extensive vocabulary of words from an actual language. Also, ALO comes from the same base as SAO, so it may be possible to create spells from the ground up.”

“If it was possible, then why hasn’t any player managed it yet?” Kouichirou asked.

“Let me answer your question with a question of my own,” Harry said. “Has any player made a serious attempt to create one?”

Kazuto watched as Asuna’s older brother blinked and he could see her father give Harry a considering look.

“Why do you ask that, young man?” Shouzou asked.

Harry turned his attention to the older man. “Mister Yuuki, Asuna managed to create a sword skill on her own in SAO,” he said. “She was one of the few who managed to. We managed to determine that it required a certain degree of mastery, not only with the weapons, but also with many of the existing sword skills themselves. Even then, creating the sword skills themselves were incredibly hard. Sure, Asuna wasn’t the only one to do it, but the thing is, _there were not very many others_.”

##

“Before SAO, I was interested in becoming a doctor,” Nijika said. “I still am, but that might be out of reach for me now.”

“Why would you say that?” Kyouko asked.

“Because I’m an SAO Survivor,” Nijika said with a bluntness she knew was very un-Japanese. “And I am also one who was known to use lethal force as well. It would have been hard enough with me being _Hāfu_ and born in Russia on top of that. I recommend that you don’t deny it, Mrs. Yuuki, I have faced a lot of quiet and not so quiet discrimination when my mom brought me here from Russia. While it has gotten better in the decade since, it is still there. But with SAO and everything that went on there?” Her shrug felt fatalistic, and she was the one doing it. "That just triggers even more biases that exist in Japanese culture. Even people that agree with us feel uneasy, because it goes against what helps polite society-- and a lot of impolite society-- function."

She ignored the warning look Asuna shot her, her attention focused her friend’s mother. To the older woman’s credit, if Nijika’s words struck a nerve, she didn’t show it.

“Any one of those things would have made it harder, but all four?” She asked. “It won’t stop me from trying, but I do know the hurdles I will have to surmount to just get accepted by a college even if I pass my exams.” She was under no illusions of the fact that passing her exams didn’t mean that the university had to accept her as a student. They could come up with any number of excuses without mentioning SAO or her actions inside it as for why they would deny her admission.

Mrs. Yuuki's look was level and considering. "It would seem to me such excuses to satisfy their discomfort would be a greater loss to them,” she said. That she had clearly understood what Nijika _hadn’t_ said was mildly surprising for the Russo-Japanese girl. “Still, it will be interesting to see how you apply yourself to this goal."

_Oh, muzhik,_ Nijika thought. Because her brain clearly translated what that last statement meant.

_I've got an eye on you, young lady. Impress me._

A glance at Asuna got a flat look in return, as if she was being told, _I tried to warn you._

She watched as the woman turned her attention to Hiyori who didn’t take long to think up her own answer. “I’m afraid that I haven’t really thought that far ahead,” she admitted. “I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life before SAO. I did plan to get into high school while I worked it out, but that was as far as any serious planning went. And then, well… SAO happened and I had more important things to worry about then. Now that we’re free, I’ve been more concerned with recovering and reconnecting with my parents right now.”

“Understandable,” Kyouko said. “But thinking of what you will do when you are done with your education is important.” There was a tone of mild rebuke in her voice, but Hiyori simply met her eyes.

“I understand,” Hiyori said.

Asuna's mother turned to Keiko and shook her head. “I can surmise that you and your fiancé plan to marry as soon as you are able to,” she said. “But I still should ask, what are your plans outside of that?”

Keiko looked thoughtful for a moment. “I cannot speak for Harry, but I only have a very general idea of what I may be doing when I finish high school,” she said. “My English is passable, but I do intend to work on it and get better at it. You are correct that Harry and I do plan to marry as soon as we are able, but it won’t be when he’s eighteen. My parents and his guardian have agreed that we should at least finish our main schooling. The only reason they aren’t insisting on us graduating university is because they are realistic enough to understand that we might not be able to get accepted, regardless of our entrance exam results.”

Kyouko nodded. “But with the two of you being the youngest, you also have the most time for everything to die down,” she noted.

Keiko shot her a dry look. “Mrs. Yuuki, if it was simply that, I wouldn’t be worried, for any of us,” she said. “But it isn’t.”

Nijika couldn’t help but nod at that. She had gotten a few sideways looks by her former peers, or those who lived in the same building as she and her mother. Most of them really didn’t know what to think of her. And while they hadn’t said anything, many of them were also simply uncomfortable with her presence. She had no doubt that the others had been faced with that as well.

She knew why these questions were being asked. Much like how the woman had enquired with Harry and Keiko about their engagement, this line of enquiry was as much her getting a feel for all of them. This was clearly an upper class family, and all of them were middle class. In any other circumstances but the ones that brought them all together, none of them would know each other from anyone else, let alone have become friends.

But they had.

**Alfheim, Arun**

Yui could tell that something was bothering Asuna the moment the Undine logged in. There was a tension to her body that she had learned to recognize back in SAO that indicated as much. “Asuna, is something on your mind?” Yui asked. The young Spriggan giving the older Undine a concerned look. “And where is everyone? I know you all can’t always coordinate your times online, but you do try.”

Asuna looked at her and sighed. “The others might be awhile,” she said. “We all were at my place, so my parents could meet them. I think it went well, they talked it over while I was seeing everyone off and told me that they had no problems continuing my acquaintance with them. Well, my mother said she had no problems with it.” She scowled. “As if she was the final authority on who I can associate with.”

“I don’t understand, why would anyone but you have a say in that?” Yui asked.

Asuna looked at the AI before shaking her head. “It’s more a cultural thing,” she said. “In Japan, we’re raised to respect our elders. They tell us something, we’re expected to listen. They tell us to do something, we’re expected to do it. Well, we’re supposed to do it as long as what they told us to do doesn’t break the law, but I think you know what I mean.”

Yui nodded. “And your parents approved of the others?” She asked, keeping her eyes on the Undine who started to pace.

“They did,” Asuna said. “Granted, I’m fairly sure that my dad and brother were already inclined to do so, but my mother?” She shook her head. “I’m glad they approve, I really am. Their doing so is a good thing. But I… I don’t _need_ their approval, if that means anything.”

Yui nodded, though she didn’t really understand what Asuna meant. Why would she claim not to need the approval of the rest of her family, but state that getting it was still a good thing? What did that mean?

Asuna had apparently noticed her confusion. “Yui, it’s… it’s hard to explain, really,” she said. “As I said, I was raised to respect my parents and do what I was told by them. I don’t see anything wrong with that. But after the last two years, where I didn’t have them to tell me what to do or to make decisions for me, I have developed an independent streak. All of us have, really.”

“But wouldn’t that be a good thing?” Yui asked.

Asuna moved toward a chair and sat down on it, her blue eyes darkening in thought before she shook her head. “Back in SAO, it was a good thing,” she finally said. “But out in the real world… it’s complicated. Many adults would see my independent streak as me being unreasonably willful with regard to my parents. They wouldn’t have the context. Not that some of them would care even if they did.”

“Why not?” Yui asked.  


“Because they would look at my age and tell me that as a child, I’m not mature enough to make my own decisions and to leave it to the adults,” Asuna said. “My mom isn’t like that. She knows enough about how things went on in here, even if she didn’t watch the feeds overly much. And the same day SAO ended, well we had a... civil discussion.”

Yui gave Asuna a searching look. Her tone said that it went a bit differently than her words indicated. “Civil?” She asked.

Asuna nodded. “Well, it was a bit spirited,” she admitted. “But it was necessary.”

Yui was about to ask further when the she picked up the sound of someone logging in. Turning, she saw Silica and shortly after, Harry, both who quickly met Asuna’s eyes.

“Well, since you’re here and not trying to hide being upset, I take it your parents are fine with us?” Silica asked.

Asuna nodded. “They are, though my mother is going to be keeping an eye on you all,” she said. “And I don’t blame her. All of you reprobates were a bad influence on poor, impressionable, me. And I need to keep you from being a bad influence on Yui.”

“And who’s going to stop you from being a bad influence on her?” Silica asked.

They all shared a laugh at that.


	13. Money, Politics and Fools

**February 22, 2025 - Hogwarts, Headmaster’s Office**

Albus gave Lucius Malfoy a neutral look as the man stepped into his office. That the man had used the floo and, as the muggles put it, called ahead the previous evening, was unusual. Lucius usually preferred to come in unannounced and attempt to catch the Hogwarts Headmaster off guard.

Not that he often managed to. Albus had a lot of experience in reacting to unexpected surprises, a requirement when heading a school full of children learning magic and their ability to do things with magic they otherwise shouldn’t be able to out of sheer ignorance. So did the rest of the staff, Poppy especially, since they often had to fix the damage.

“So Lucius, what brings you here today?” Albus asked. “Especially since you alerted me to your coming well ahead of time.”

“I have received word of some developments that some of our distinguished Members of the Wizengamot are planning with regards to Harry Potter,” the man said.

_Ah,_ Albus thought. It explained much and little at the same time. Lucius’ public views had changed but his private views were probably had not, or had not changed to the same degree. He would still have contacts in certain circles. He would be interested in anything involving Harry, if only so he knows if whatever plots are afoot would bring him back to England. Lucius hadn’t gone through the trouble of smoothing the way for Harry to stay in Japan to have him be forced to come back to England. “Oh?” He asked curiously.

Lucius met Albus’ eyes easily. “While I don’t have precise names, there are indications that some members are going to attempt to force a matter involving the Potter Family assets.”

“And what matter would that be?” Albus asked.

“The matter of those assets having been apparently inactive for fourteen years, with no head of family to claim responsibility for them,” Lucius said. “There are those who are looking to see if they could divest Potter of those assets and more. Barring that, they may try to gain influence over the Potter assets through trying to force a marriage, the fools.”

Albus nodded. If he were to be honest, that some would try a tactic like this was unsurprising, though premature and poorly thought out. Had Harry been seventeen and unattached, things would be different due to him being the last of the Potter line and needing to continue it. But he was still only fifteen and thus not a legal adult, and while he wasn’t officially married to Miss Ayano, both were wearing the rings reserved for the heads of the family. Whomever was planning this was going to find themselves disappointed.

But that still begged one question.

“I am surprised that you’re alerting me of this before I would have found out from other sources, Lucius,” he said. “The last time you two were in the presence of each other made for quite the tense encounter.”

“That was then,” Lucius said. “His actions after that have made me reevaluate him. He did not accomplish what he has by being kind, or nice. He accomplished what he did by developing a capacity for violence and, more importantly, knowing _when_ it is necessary to use it. That is a rare trait in a trained adult, let alone a boy in his teens. And he _has that trait_. When he returns to England, I would rather it be in more amiable circumstances, not because someone did something to provoke him.”

Left unsaid by Lucius, was how he had used his influence to assist in making the arrangements to allow Harry to remain in Japan. Anything that could potentially force Harry to return to England could put paid to those efforts.

But this was something that Harry would have to respond to. And he would need to be notified of this and… better send Fawkes with the notification.

**Nerima, Potter-Black Apartment**

Harry put the note that had been brought to him by Fawkes down and sighed. “I was wondering when someone back in England would try something,” he said.

Sirius looked at him. “Actually one of them did, you just spotted it and sicced the Shibas on him,” he noted.

“Oh?” He asked. “When was, wait, you mean that one Keiko and I saw those weeks ago?”

Sirius smirked. “The same,” he said. “Theo Nott, the older one, not the one who’s in Hogwarts. He was trying to be sneaky and not be seen but…”  
  


“He wasn’t trying hard enough,” Harry said. “He should have looked into what fashions someone his age would wear out here. A suit or something would have actually made him blend in much better, as he would look like a visiting businessman.” That the man was actually using magic to not attract notice was only something he found out after the fact. It was the fact that the man clearly didn’t belong that made him stand out to him and Keiko, magic or no.

Harry looked at his godfather. “Sirius, I need some advice,” he said.

“About?”

Harry handed him the sheet of parchment. “Read this first,” he said and then looked at Fawkes. "I don't suppose you have any ideas?"

The phoenix trilled, and suddenly Harry found the edge of nervousness, annoyance, and -- yes-- anger at this latest insanity in his homeland abate. He still didn't like it, but with the edge gone he could feel more productive about it. Like he could do what had to be done and not wait until it cooled off on its own to keep himself from acting rashly.

"Point taken," Harry said, smirking at the firebird. "Different tools, different ends, but same need." He pursed his lips in thought. "You know, for an incorruptible symbol of light... that's a fairly ruthless attitude to encourage."

Harry swore his former headmaster's companion was giving him a 'who, me?' look the like of which some of the better Slytherins would kill for. Hedwig coasting in the window at that moment, pausing, and giving the nigh immortal bird a look worthy of his old head of house just made Harry snort.

And then he heard Sirius chuckle.

"What?" Harry asked.

"They're so busy focusing on you," Sirius said, "They forget they aren't just dealing _with you_ if they try this."

"What do you...?” Harry began. Then he stopped.

And then he smiled.

"Fawkes," Harry said, "would you mind accompanying Hedwig to London? I think she has some messages I want to have the proper gravitas, and you can keep them from freaking out too much."

Both birds preened as he looked back as Sirius.

“Okay, I will have to respond to this, even show up,” Harry said. “And that means that you, as my guardian, have to be there. I need to see if it is possible for Keiko to accompany us. I want to make a statement.”

“Why-- oh right, she’s wearing the other ring,” Sirius said.

Harry looked at his godfather questioningly. “Just what does that mean?” He asked. “And before you say that you were simply waiting for the right time to explain it, don’t. Regardless of whether now is a good or right time to do so, that time is _now_. So, what does the fact that both Keiko and I are wearing these rings mean?”

Sirius met Harry’s eyes. “In short, it means that the two of you are the heads of the Potter Family,” he said.

Harry blinked. “We’re what?” He asked.

“You two are, if you want to be formal about it, the Lord and Lady Potter respectively,” Sirius said. “There are titles that go with that, not that they mean anything substantial these days. Those titles haven’t had any real power to them since the decades before the Statute of Secrecy came into effect. ”

Harry nodded. “So the titles lost their teeth in the Seventeenth Century,” he said. “It probably started with Cromwell and was finalized by William of Orange’s compromises with Parliament during the Glorious Revolution to legitimize his becoming King after James II was deposed.”

"Oh, no..." Sirius gasped. "You actually decided to look into history beyond Binns!"

Harry raised an eyebrow. “Actually, this is something I learned back in Primary, Sirius,” he said. “Before Hogwarts. That it applied to my family? That’s new, but Cromwell and the Glorious Revolution? That’s part of the standard curriculum, if only the generalities. As for knowing more than the basics… Book Club.”

"... never tell anyone I said this, but I regret not joining that." Sirius said.

“Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me,” Harry said. “So, we have the basics, now the details. Just what do I not know that I should know since Mum and Dad died before they could teach me?"

"Well, first," Sirius said, his manner matching his favorite pun for once, "you need to understand why the goblins were willing to become bankers for us..."

**February 23, 2025 - London, Gringotts**

The old goblin was mildly impressed. He had long since gotten used to Fawkes; Dumbledore had asked the Phoenix to convey more than a few messages over the years. But Potter's owl was as impressive— not all nerves like some owls that entered his tunnels.

"Noose," he addressed his assistant, "fetch some meat from the stocks for Lord Potter's owl and some cough drops for our other guest."

"Yes, Manager," Noose said, moving with the quiet efficiency that had so impressed the Manager all those years ago.

He'd lost his name and clan when he became Manager. Like the Warbosses of old were always simply Boss. It was a sign his concern was the goblin species in Britain as a whole.

As he looked the message sent by Lord Potter over, he could tell that the young man was coached on how to write it. That was permissible. He was still young and was still learning. The message confirmed what some of his sources in the Ministry had been telling him, that members of the Wizengamot were making a play on his assets now that he was no longer incapacitated and had been given a reasonable time to recover.

As if such a maneuver would work. Some of the Wizengamot likely expected it to fail and were doing this to bring the young man back to England. To either get him onto the political scene, or to make plays for their unattached daughters and granddaughters in his age group to marry him. The latter was just as doomed to failure. He was aware of the young man’s marriage, regardless of what the law said. And there was a reason why he made sure that all mentions of Harry Potter were of him being called Lord Potter.

Lord Black had informed them of the appearance of the Head of Family rings on the fingers of the two and swore an oath as to the truthfulness of his statements. Nothing else was needed in the Manager's mind.

The Potters had always been respectful in their dealings with the goblins. The Manager could safely say he came damn close to liking James Potter. Fully admitting such bias wasn't an affordance he had, any more than he could admit his pride in his cousin's teaching and dueling career.

_The son understood_ , the Manager thought as Noose returned. The son may have been coached, but he was saying what he wanted. Harry Potter had a problem with his money and property, and was politely asking its custodians for help.

"Noose, the Potter accounts," he prompted.

"Still in the Hook clan's hands, Sir," Noose provided. Obviously he'd recognized the owl and checked while on his errand.

Good goblin. Never chased trouble.

"Fetch me the Potter Vault Attendant, Accountant, and Steward."

"Sir," Noose agreed. Then, with a smirk he added, "I am given to understand Pikehook has rather diligently been investing the funds Lord Potter's parents earmarked for such. The returns have been, on average, three percent."

"A good start," the Manager said, smiling. Money being invested was money being used to make money, something that the non-magical human bankers had known for a long time. A three percent return may not be the highest return possible in investments, not even close, but it was a safely conservative return that was likely to continue in the long term.

And Gringotts did get a cut from the money generated, which meant profit. And Potter was showing an interest in things. He wanted to know what assets he had, what they were currently being used for, and what advice Gringotts could give on how to better utilize them. The final say might be his, but the young man wanted the input of those doing the investments.

The fact Lord Potter was also letting him get one up on the more bigoted members of the wizarding government was a _very_ nice bonus.

And perhaps a notice to those who served as Gringotts’ contacts to the Prime Minister, and perhaps The Queen, was in order. So many wizards could forget _who_ signed so many of those old treaties and who ratified them in the modern age. And Her Majesty was rumored to have taken an interest in Lord Potter’s activities while he was in that Sword Art Online.

Of course, it would all depend on just how Lord Potter decided to approach the matter. He might have a different stick in mind. Or perhaps a rope.

It would be just like a Potter to let those who wished them harm or ruin to hang themselves.

**February 24, 2025 - London, Ministry of Magic**

The arrival of the group was heralded by a flash of fire and the trilling of a phoenix, catching Narcissa Malfoy’s attention. She turned her attention to where the sound came from and took in the group that arrived.

At their head was Albus Dumbledore, who had arrived for what was clearly official business, given the he would otherwise be at Hogwarts. It was a Monday, after all, and it was no secret that he preferred to see to the education of the young over playing politician. But his being there wasn’t what got everyone’s attention to focus on what would have otherwise been a mundane event for those who were regulars at the Ministry.

It was the trio of people with him that was unusual. Not that Narcissa didn’t expect them, but she could see many in the Atrium pause and take stock of who it was.

The older of them and the only clear adult was a familiar enough face. For all that he avoided the Ministry after finally getting the trial he had been denied for twelve years, her cousin Sirius Black was a well-known figure. That he was at the Ministry may be unusual but it was not a lumos in a dark room.

It was the other two. A boy and a girl.

The girl was an unknown to her, dressed in robes of an odd design. Colorful, but not overly so. If she recalled correctly, it was called a Kimono, something those who were more travelled were calling it while they explained it to their own peers. It was restrictive in appearance, but not hindering her movements at all. Closely fitting, but not inappropriately so. Combined with how her brown hair was held into a bun up by two lacquered sticks, it gave her an exotic appearance. Her expression was politely neutral, her brown eyes taking in everything they saw, but not showing whether she was amazed or intimidated by being at Britain's magical seat of government. And Narcissa could tell that it wasn’t a coached or schooled expression.

The boy _should_ have been a known quantity-- but his manner of dress and simple bearing screamed that many an assumption was about as substantial as a boggart's illusions.

Harry Potter’s dress robes were a green so dark that they were almost black in the light of the Ministry’s Atrium. They weren’t closed, but were open, clasped only at the throat like a cloak. Under them, the tailored suit he wore was an austere black, with the only color being the white shirt under the jacket and the green tie. A mix of wizarding and muggle fashion but not blatantly so. It was his expression, however, that made everyone who saw him begin to reevaluate their assumptions of the Potter Heir. Narcissa found herself in that number, despite her husband's thoughts on the matter.

 If the girl’s expression was neutral, there was still some warmth there. Potter's was as cold and impassive as if made of the iron Oberon feared, his eyes glinting like chips of Jade whenever the light from the Atrium’s gas lamps caught them.

“Please submit your wands for inspection,” the Auror manning the desk that all people were required to check in at said. If she thought anything of who just appeared, or was surprised by them, it didn’t show. She was the perfect model of professionalism right then.

Dumbledore and Sirius did so quickly and easily and when it came to Harry, he slowly brought his wand out, keeping his actions smooth and in clear sight. He then carefully handed it over to her, handle first. The small crowd of people who watched it began to talk among themselves, some wondering why he was being so careful, formal even, about it, while others recognized it for what it was.

The handing of a weapon over to be inspected. He treated his wand as a duelist or Auror would. _And it sends a message to everyone here,_ Narcissa thought to herself.

When the Auror turned to the girl, she shook her head.

“I don’t have a wand or focus on me,” she said.

"Who let a muggle in- hrk!"

The voice was cut off so incredibly fast that necks cracked turning to locate its origin, not that Narcissa needed to turn to see who it was. Standing a few feet from Potter was Edward Goyle-- of course, the whole clan was at its best when it kept its mouth shut-- being pinned to the pedestal the Statue of Magical Brethren was on by a woman half his size.

"Mr. Potter's guests are none of your concern,” She said. “Auror Bowles, can you have this cleared from the Atrium?"

"Certainly, Sergeant Bowles," the Auror replied smoothly. "Sergeant Major Gravel offered your services?"

The apparent soldier (combat mage, members of the crowd muttered, some distastefully) smirked at the Auror (cousins? sisters?). "There were those who suggested that Lord Potter should receive the VIP treatment. The Sergeant Major asked for volunteers." Even without saying who it was that made the suggestion, the fact that it was made of members of the magical detachment of Royal Family’s guards was telling to Narcissa.

A squad of similarly garbed soldiers formed up around the group, leaving room for them to approach the check in desk.

“Before I let all of you go, reason for visit?” Auror Bowles asked.

"Raising a ruckus," Potter said flatly.

And so the badge the clearly not smirking Auror gave Harry read, "Lord Harry James Potter, Ruckus Raising".

She turned to the girl, who smiled. “Keiko Ayano, interested party in this.” Her English had a noticeable accent, but it was clear. Not like how it was rumored those from the Orient sounded when they spoke English. The muttering from the crowd increased before quieting down as several people looked at them.

Narcissa was able to see the badge and almost snorted as she saw that it-- in English and what was probably Japanese-- read, "Ruckus Witness". She also noticed that the badge addressed her as Lady Keiko Ayano-Potter. Interesting.

"Bowles, if you put 'don't ask' on mine this time I shall be very sad," Dumbledore said, and Fawkes gave his best pathetic coo. Dumbledore looked at the bird. "Why are you still here?"

“But then I will be asked why you’re here, and by putting don’t ask, I can say that I can’t tell,” Bowles said as she held up a badge-- "Fawkes-- Witness for Prosperity."

"Oh, why do you people encourage him," Dumbledore groused. He still took the badge for Fawkes.

“Oh get off it you old coot, you enjoy it as much as we do,” Amelia Bones said as she approached the desk. “Rufus heard about a brewing brouhaha here and sent me to clear things up.” She looked at the soldiers who made up the escort group. “And of course Bloody Bill sends in his maniacs to make sure nothing too extreme happens."

"In fairness, Madame Bones," one smiling lad said. "We are supposed to tell him what happens anyway. Well, that and ensuring that Lord Potter doesn’t have a reason to inconvenience the cleaning staff.”

"I wouldn't mean to, but..." Potter gave Bones a calm look. Almost a mirror of the one Bones gave him, some would note.

"Add the print and radio crowd to that," Sirius groaned, as the lift opened and a crowd too big for it in theory emerged with microphones and quills in hand.

"Lord Potter?" Sergeant Bowles prompted.

"I need to visit Goblin Relations first," Potter said.

"Right, moving in the general direction of not here," Bowles barked, easily directing her squad to add Madame Bones to the group. Then she clapped her hands in the air and smirked. "And Madame Bones, I seemed to have caught an illegal animagus."

"How do you know?" Bones asked, the eyebrow of her un-monocled eye raised.

"Went to school with her,” Bowles said. “Always was a braggart, that Skeeter."

“Oh, her,” Amelia said. “I am sorry to say, she’s actually a registered one. She just makes sure that it’s kept quiet.”

"Then I can’t just kill her for trying to track my principle?" Bowles asked.

“Sergeant, enough of that,” Harry said calmly as he looked at her hand. “I’m sure that Miss Skeeter is simply doing her job as a member of the Press and is simply not trying to intrude. Now that she's been spotted, she'll allow herself to be escorted away... with the understanding that doing it again will not be taken so lightly.”

"... Fair enough," Bowles agreed as she let something that was in her hand go.

Shortly after, Rita Skeeter appeared and shot the SAS sergeant a frosty look. “You were always too eager for a violent solution, Regina,” she said.

“And you are always too eager to push boundaries, Rita,” Bowles said.

"Mister Potter--" One of the closing reporters called.

"No comment," Potter said preemptively, turning to follow the lead of his guards.

As she watched them head away, Narcissa went over what she had seen and considered what the implications of Potter being here so quickly. Especially since Lucius only tipped Dumbledore off two days ago.

_This is going to be an interesting Wizengamot meeting,_ she thought to herself. _A shame I have an appointment to meet. I will ask Lucius how it went when he gets home._

##

If he hadn’t been told to expect this, Dirk Cresswell would have been surprised when his clearly intimidated secretary said that he had some visitors. The presence of Albus Dumbledore, Sirius Black and Harry Potter being escorted by the SAS soldiers who were members of Her Majesty’s Magical Guards… Well, it was easy to miss that the Director of Magical Law Enforcement was there, as was an obviously foreign girl who was… wait, her badge was saying _what_? Well, that was going to set some kneazles loose in the henhouse the moment others realized it and figured out what it meant.

“I should have realized that when the Manager said that things were going to be interesting today, he meant it like how a goblin would see it,” he said dryly as he gave them all a polite bow, never taking his eyes off them.

“It was felt that a strong and quick response to some things was for the best,” Harry Potter said, returning the bow. “I know that this is unusual, but due to some circumstances, the meeting between myself and the stewards of my family’s accounts and then going to the Wizengamot is too close to be easy to coordinate. That they have been willing to make accommodations and meet with me here is a boon that will not be forgotten.”

_Well said,_ Dirk thought approvingly. He knew that Pikehook and others from the Hook Clan were listening to this, having arrived well before Harry Potter had. It was unlikely that he was aware of it, so the fact that he all but said that he owed them a favor in kind for the favor they have done him said a lot about his character.

“Indeed, Mister Potter,” he said. “They will be here soon, so you will only have to wait but a few moments.”

Harry nodded even as he looked past Dirk and smiled. “It will be no bother, Mister Cresswell,” he said.

_How did he…?_ Dirk thought before schooling himself. He may have known beforehand, or simply assumed that they would already be here to prepare. While that wouldn’t be an erroneous conclusion to reach, it wouldn’t be for the reasons most wizards thought, not that he thought that the boy, no not a boy, that the young man thought that way.

Despite his too thin appearance and the lack of obvious musculature, Harry Potter was a warrior. Dirk linked him instantly with duelists, goblin guards, and combat mages. It was clear in how his eyes took in everything and how his bearing spoke of an alert readiness, for all that he seemed relaxed and at ease. And his wife was the same way. Whether the law recognized their marriage as legally valid or not, it was clear that it was acknowledged. Even without the marriage being legally recognized, she _was_ Lady Potter.

Harry Potter’s stated purpose as on the badge was quite apt.

##

Rufus Scrimgeour looked up from the paperwork on his desk as Albus entered with some relief at the distraction. Had he not been blinded by the opportunity to achieve his long term political ambitions and considered just how much sitting on his arse and being tied up in bureaucratic folderol would have been involved, he would have done what he could to push Amelia into becoming Minister so he could take her job.

At least he would have known what he was getting into then.

“So, Harry Potter is paying a visit to the Ministry,” he said.

“That he is, Rufus,” Albus replied.

Rufus gave Albus a searching look. “And what is the reason that he has decided to do so?” He asked. “Is it because of the rumors that someone is making a play on the Potter Family Assets, not that such would work, or something else?”

Albus said nothing in response, making Rufus sigh. Ever the teacher, the old man was as likely to let someone work the answers out for themselves without his help as he was to answer a question. Then again, the answer was also obvious in this case and his question was as much a rhetorical one as it was an honest one.

“A rapid response to this,” he finally said. “Before any moves have been made even.” He gave Albus a shrewd look. “How much of this was his idea?”

Albus’ eyes twinkled, which Rufus took to mean that it was all the boy’s idea. The entrance, bringing the muggle girl, visiting the Goblin Relations office and a probable later visit to the Wizengamot… Raising a ruckus indeed.

##

"Goblins have addressed the Wizengamot before, Member Thompson," Harry said bluntly even as the woman in question rose from her seat to mount her protest. "Or would you rather Gringotts go directly to the Prime Minister? They have done so in the past-- twice for your predecessor in Old London."

As the member for Old London sat down heavily, Harry inwardly thanked Dumbledore for telling him about the small magical reminder plaque at each desk. Outwardly it read simply a name, but if you could trigger it with a bit of sorcery-- mind magic-- you knew what seat the member held, how long, if they headed any committees... with the number of members the full Wizengamot had, it was an invaluable tool for any Chief Warlock or Witch.

Not that he had any intention of holding such a position in the future, but still a useful thing to know. And his ability with mind magics weren’t even at the novice level. The only reason he knew this trick is because Sirius made sure to teach it to him, and drum it into him in the short time they had to prepare for this.

Though that Occlumency that was also mentioned sounded like a must learn. Something for the future.

"Lord Potter," said Augusta Longbottom from where she sat as Dumbledore's alternate. In truth, Dumbledore had been trying to ease the Wizengamot into accepting her, if only to at least act as a transitional replacement, for years. Of course, as the Headmaster had once confided in him when asked about all the grand words after his name... people loved giving you titles and hated taking them back. Why, taking them back meant that they might be considering taking responsibility for themselves!

“Yes, Dame Longbottom?” He asked. While she was the acting head of the Longbottom Family, she had stepped down as the Lady Longbottom years ago. There was some trouble with the transition, and Harry had heard much in the Hogwarts rumor mill to tell him that Neville's parents were not dead... but could not be seen as fit to hold the title. However, Dumbledore told him that she was knighted back in the forties, so addressing her as Dame Longbottom was appropriate.

"While I am sure many understand why you are here today, your being here was perhaps not expected so soon,” she said. “However, the docket is clear and I can see no reason to delay your business to do so-- or motions to do so, Member Parkinson-- and thus welcome you and your associates to address this august body. Albus, do I need to keep warming this chair?"

The Headmaster smirked, his twinkle in abeyance. "I may be needed as a witness, Augusta."

"You almost sound happy about it," someone murmured, to scattered chuckles.

“I will admit to enjoying not having to oversee the proceedings,” Albus admitted. "I doubt we shall find them pleasant, sadly." He looked to Harry, who looked to Augusta.

"The floor is yours, Lord Potter," Dame Longbottom said. Harry could have sworn there was a bit of eagerness there.

“Thank you, Dame Longbottom,” Harry said as he then looked over the assembled members. He could see Keiko in the gallery reserved for distinguished visitors, and he knew that it was the presence of the magical SAS soldiers around her that kept anyone from saying or doing anything. It had been decided to have her there, rather than next to him, as would have been her right with the de facto position she held as the matriarch of the Potter Family. And hadn’t explaining _that_ to her been interesting. Her family already knew due to Sirius explaining things to them all those months ago, thankfully. But still, the two of them would have appreciated knowing this a bit sooner than only within the last few days.

“Members of the Wizengamot, I stand here in response to receiving word that a motion was in the making to check the state of the Potter Family assets and, should their state be found wanting, to relieve the Potter Family of control over them. Now, I can understand the decision to put their state under review; there has been no member of my family to take official responsibility for them since the death of my father— the previous head, James Potter.” His eyes hardened. “I can understand that. What I do not understand, is why no one has made enquiries to Gringotts as to their state beforehand.”

“Lord Potter, why would the goblins be free with that information?” Came the question. “Regardless of what some may think of them, no one will question that they guard their confidentiality and integrity in matters of finance rigorously.”

Harry turned to the member that spoke, and gave Lucius Malfoy a small smile. "Yes. And part of that, Lord Malfoy, is having avenues to reveal such information when matters such as this come up. Why, my accountant Pikehook here was telling me any number of ways the goblins would have satisfied honest curiosity linked to possible legal action without directly revealing how much money I have or where it is invested. But since I have been compelled to return to the land of my birth for this, I offer a simple assurance of my own. Members, there are five of you here that have businesses founded on loans from the Potter Estate or partly funded by Potter investments _since_ my parents died as directed by the Hook clan. With my permission, and the understanding that no specific amount need be given as I would not ask if this was not significant... please stand so that the Wizengamot has a solid visual to attach to the Potter moneys at work."

Pikehook stood from where he was seated and looked the assembled members of the Wizengamot over. “Thank you, Lord Potter,” he said. “Master Greengrass?"

"Present, Accountant Pikehook," Richard Greengrass said, standing.

"In what manner has the Potter Estate invested in your business?"

"My import and export business, sir,” he replied. “It was started by my father at the recommendation of Charlus Potter, and his utilizing his own international contacts, that helped in starting it. I have maintained it ever since I took leadership over the company. The estate only invested after James' death, when certain stances I took on how magical goods might be safely steered through muggle channels scared off some of our other investors."

"Thank you, Master Greengrass. Madame Sofenwart?"

The lady in question stood, but soon after Lucius Malfoy spoke again. "Accountant Pikehook, anyone who knows Gringotts knows you are not just naming random actors. Let us not trot out any of the details if we don't have to. Besides the Member for Godric's Hollow, perhaps the remaining three Lord Potter mentioned could stand? If the matter goes further for some reason, knowing who the Wizengamot needs to call on for details after going through the appropriate channels is more than enough for me."

"Here here," came voice of one of the members. He was wearing a top hat and looked strangely familiar to Harry. "The Wizengamot has no particular right, let alone a need, to see Lord Potter's ledger just because we saddled him with that ridiculous 'Boy Who Lived' title."

"As you say, Da Diggle," Lucius drawled, and there was another brief chuckle that rippled through the chamber.

"I don't believe we need a vote to follow _established protocol_ ," Augusta Longbottom said, the last two words sharp as knives. "Accountant Pikehook, if you would."

The goblin nodded. "Besides Madame Stephany Sofenwart, I would ask Master Robert Pinwheel, Lord Michael Bailey, and Lady Victoria Fitzmilton to stand and acknowledge the Potter Estate’s involvement."

And each did, with a nod or a quiet “yes”. In Fitzmilton's case, she felt the need to add, "And may I state for the record that as of yesterday, as my partner Douglas and I always intended, Fitz and Adams have bought out the last of those mills publishing those ridiculous 'Boy Who Lived' books and have ceased publication. I only regret Doug couldn't hold on long enough to see it happen."

Harry blinked at her. "Thank you, Lady Fitzmilton,” he said honestly. _Douglas, and the last name Adams... it couldn’t be,_ he thought, dismissing the idea that went through his mind. A shame, as his works had probably the best piece of advice he ever got about danger: don’t panic. But that those stories were no longer being printed was reassuring. He turned to Madame Longbottom. "With the understanding that there may still be concerns, and until due process is served, Dame Longbottom, I believe this concludes my business here."

"Actually, Lord Potter, while we have you here--" a man began, rising.

Briefly glancing at the man's plaque, Harry interrupted him. "If it is unrelated to my finances, Member Carrow, then bluntly-- no. Most other matters that this body seems to occupy itself with related to me have already been decided by circumstance and other parties."

Carrow looked at him, and Harry was reminded not of the Reds... but of Lind. Not the Lind who had eventually become someone Harry could have a little respect for. But the Lind from before the Incident that got him to change. Maybe with a meaner bite-- so that Lind mixed with Aunt Marge's dog Ripper. Not the most endearing mix to resemble. And not one that would make Harry inclined to trust the man.

"Look here, boy--" the man began again.

"Amycus," Augusta Longbottom said, voice stern and firm. "Lord Potter is correct. You have already been courting censure, _again,_ this session. One matter at a time. Lord Potter, you have the Wizengamot's thanks for your indulgence of the curiosity of certain members."

Harry gave her a respectful nod. "Thank you, Dame Longbottom. Please, give my regards to Neville."

“Given the time, you may be able to do so yourself, Harry,” Albus said, speaking up. “At the very least, you and your guest are invited to join me at Hogwarts for dinner.”

“Thank you, Chief Warlock,” Harry said, giving Albus a nod. “And now, I shall take my leave.” He gave the members of the Wizengamot one last look before he turned and walked out the chamber. As the doors shut behind him, he could already hear several begin to argue.

He had said his purpose was to raise a ruckus, and he did precisely that. Now it was time for him to go to the VIP gallery and sit with Keiko while they watched the show.

**Hogwarts, Great Hall**

Ron looked up from his meal as the entire hall became silent. Given that it was at its usual levels of noise an instant before, something must have happened. He noticed Hermione looking toward the entrance and turned his attention there and paused as he noticed the group at the entrance.

Dumbledore wasn’t a big surprise, save for his arriving at this time, rather than at the start of dinner. But who was…?

“No way,” he said as he saw the adult and the pair of youths with Dumbledore. They were dressed rather fancily, but one was clearly recognizable to him. He recognized that messy mop of hair, though it looked more like the messy appearance was deliberate this time. The girl was also recognizable, though the robes she was wearing threw him off for a moment. Their design looked familiar, as if he had seen robes of that type before, but the last time he saw her, she was wearing muggle clothing, not robes that were clearly high quality.

What were those two doing here, at Hogwarts? Weren’t they supposed to be in Japan?

“Hermione,” he said. “Tell me I’m not seeing things, but that’s Harry over there with Dumbledore, right?”

“Yes Ron, that’s him,” she immediately replied. “And before you ask, that is Keiko there with him, and dressed up quite nicely as well.” She took a sip of the tea in front of her. “Looks like Daphne was right, and they paid a visit to the Ministry today and I now owe her two sickles.”

Ron blinked and looked at her, sitting there calmly, as if the presence of the pair was an expected thing, rather than the opposite. “Oh good, Fred and George didn’t spike my pumpkin juice with something again,” he said. “Wonder how long he’s been up for by now, given that we had to take Fawkes at a time that was too bloody early when we made that quick trip to Japan to visit him. He’s definitely looking a bit peaked.” He heard something from the Slytherin table and saw Harry turn his attention there.

##

Keiko thought she knew what to expect, given that Harry had told her stories, but seeing it made her tempted to accuse him of understating it. To see a sky where the ceiling would be, the enchantments allowing her to see a night sky which was clearer than she had ever experienced. And it was a nice way to distract her from the fact that she was starting to feel tired after the long day they have all had.

She heard a chuckle and turned her attention to Sirius, who was shooting her an amused look. Wait, not just her. She turned to the side and saw Harry looking at the enchanted ceiling as well. Where her look was awed, his was more nostalgic.

He held that look for a short time before turning to her with a smile. “You know, I didn’t really realize it until now, but I have missed this place,” he said in English. “It is nice to be back, even if it’s only for a visit, but where are my manners?” He gestured out with his arm. “Keiko, welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.” He said in a voice that was pitched to carry throughout the hall.

“Potter, what are you doing here?” Came a question from a table that, as she looked in the direction it came from, had all the students wearing green and silver. The confrontational tone, so very direct, gave hints that whomever asked the question was either looking for a fight. Or trying to put Harry on the defensive.

She watched as Harry turned his attention to the table. “I don’t recall needing to explain myself to you… Nott if I recall,” he said. She was not entirely sure of the nuances of English, but his tone was very much like his ‘I’m being formal and polite because I don’t like you’ tone when he used Japanese. At the startled twitch one of them made, Keiko thought that it was probably the one who asked the question. “Yes, Nott, that’s who you are. You’ll have to forgive me, but it’s been two years and it’s not like we remain looking the same in that time at our ages. But since you asked, Nott, I will provide an answer.

“I am here, because I was invited by the Headmaster to join him for a meal. We had a bit of a day at the Ministry, you know. Some to do with the Wizengamot that had to be resolved, and before you ask, the details of why we were there are not your concern. At any rate, it has been a long day, and I’ve been up since six this morning, Japan time, which would be… around nine o’clock last night if I recall the time difference correctly.”

Keiko focused her attention on the table, her expression quickly becoming neutral. “Harry, would you care to make some introductions?” She asked in English.

“Allow me,” Dumbledore said, placing his hand on Harry’s shoulder. Harry looked at the elderly man and took a step back while he stepped forward. “Everyone, as you can see, Harry Potter is visiting us, at my invitation. With him is his fiancée, Miss Keiko Ayano.”

Keiko bowed as he gestured to her, giving the kind of smooth and florid movements that were clearly practiced and hinted that the elderly man could be a bit of a showman.

“I got word from my da’ that her visitor’s badge at the Ministry said otherwise,” a female student said, standing up and speaking with a clear note of enquiry in her voice.

“Indeed, it did, Miss Bulstrode,” Dumbledore said gamely. “But what it said, was different from how she introduced herself, which was as Keiko Ayano. Now, I know you all want to meet and greet both of them, but it has been a long day and we all need some food. So please don’t let this event interrupt your meals.”

As if the elderly headmaster’s words were a catalyst, the students started talking among themselves and returning to their meals.

##

Draco tried to act as if Potter’s coming to Hogwarts didn’t catch him off guard. His image relied on him at least appearing to have prior knowledge of what was happening within Hogwarts. He watched as Nott got verbally eviscerated by Potter’s response to his question. Pretending to try and remember? Acting as if it was a trivial waste of his time? A response that made it clear that Potter had heard the hostility and pugnacity behind it. A response that demonstrated that the Gryffindor _had_ changed and wasn’t going to follow the script of the Gryffindor-Slytherin rivalry.

Oh yes, Potter had changed. What he had seen that one time he went in and viewed what Potter went through had showed as much. But that was a case of watching something after the fact. It was very different seeing Potter’s changes in person. Thankfully ones that weren’t going to lead toward violence.

And if Draco had to hex a housemate or three to keep it that way, he would.

“Well said, Potter. Well said,” he heard Blaise Zabini say. “I’m surprised you’re not trying to start something, Malfoy.”

“He’s been gone for more than two years,” Draco said, turning to the Italian Slytherin. “My position here is secure and I have nothing to prove.” His eyes then went back to Potter. “And it’s not like he does either.”

He heard the amused snort. “There is also the fact that what he’s done while he was gone intimidates you,” Blaise said.

“What he did does _not_ intimidate me, Zabini,” Draco denied. “But a little wariness and caution is warranted.”

##

Minerva made sure to get a good look at Harry as he approached the Head Table. He looked healthy, if a bit on the thin side. Not that she was surprised. Sirius had told them all how Harry was while he was trapped in that infernal game. But he was looking to be recovering nicely, though she had no doubt that Poppy was itching to drag him to the hospital wing so that she could make sure for herself.

Outside of the healthy exterior, however, she could see the signs that those two years had their effect on him. There was that relaxed alertness in his posture, the way his eyes kept scanning for threats, and the subtle signs of him interposing himself between any potential threats and Miss Ayano... no, not interposing himself. A quick glance at her showed that she was doing the same on her side as well. The two of them were guarding each other’s flanks, and the casualness of it showed that it was instinctive for them.

She could see several students, most of whom were a part of Miss Granger’s project in reviewing and analyzing what Harry went through, subtly moving around and running interference on their fellow students. They had probably noticed it and were clearly acting to prevent anything from happening. Both to protect the pair from the students... and, quite possibly, the students from them.

She then met Harry’s eyes and saw his expression light up.

“Professor McGonagall, it has been too long,” he said as he got close to the table.

“Far too long, Mister Potter,” she replied with a smile. “But the pleasantries can wait a little. Both of you should take a seat.”

“Right,” Sirius said. “Sit down Harry, and stay awhile.”

“Perhaps we should find a dog bowl for Black,” Severus said in his customary drawl. He and Sirius might not have the hostility they once had, mostly because of Albus and several probable threats, but the two did often take opportunities to trade snarky barbs between each other.

“He would only get what’s in it all over everything,” Keiko said in accented English. “Harry has been trying to… how do you English say it, housebreak? Yes, that’s the word. Harry has been trying to housebreak him, but like any old dog, he’s unable to learn new tricks.” Several of the seated teachers, as well as some nearby students, snickered at that.

“Oi, I resent that remark!” Sirius protested.

“No, Sirius, you resemble that remark,” Harry countered, causing the snickers to increase. “And that was an excellent setup, Professor Snape.”

“I learned a long time ago that it is occasionally necessary to poke holes in the Bubblehead Charm that is his ego to keep it from swelling,” Severus said drily. Left unspoken was that he included James Potter in that statement, and it was clear that Harry understood that.

The slight narrowing of the eyes said as much.

“Quite,” was all he said as he held a chair out for Miss Ayano. After she sat down, he took his own seat. He took a quick look around the Great Hall. “In the dorms, we sometimes wondered what it’s like looking at everything from here, you know. It’s… not quite so different as we thought.” He shook his head.

“Mister Potter, I think all of us have thought that when we were students,” Fillius said before getting a thoughtful look on his face. “Well, maybe not Severus.”

“I had more important things to do besides speculate on such silly things, Fillius,” Severus said.

“Like what?” Sirius asked with clearly fake curiosity. “Developing a potion to deal with the grease in your hair?”

“More like creating a potion for Lily to help with keeping your fleas away, Black,” was the immediate reply.

Minerva turned to Harry as the two men began to trade barbs and saw the amused expression on his face. “Just ignore those two, they’ll be at it for a while,” she said. “So Harry, and you as well Miss Ayano, how have things been for you since the end of your ordeal?”

She watched as the two looked at each other for a moment before they traded a nod, pleasing Minerva. She had known that the two were close, they would not have gotten married in that Sword Art Online if they weren’t.

But the fact that they could so clearly communicate without words showed just how close they were.

“It has been… interesting, Professor,” Harry said. “We’re glad to be free of SAO, don’t doubt that. But the world was… strange to us for a while. It still is in some ways. But it’s becoming less strange.”

Minerva nodded, and she knew that several of her peers at the table did so as well. They knew what he meant by those words. And as much as she was proud of her former student, she hated what had forced him to become the young man he now is.

He was still Harry Potter, and there were still shades of the nervous and excited boy who had first walked into this school in him. But the young man sitting at the table now showed a self-assurance that his younger self did not have. A sense of who he, Harry Potter, truly was.

But not without a cost to himself that ended up being more than simply growing up, however. No one his age should be forced into situations where he must fight simply to survive. Or even have to come to terms with the cost of taking a life. And he had been forced into such since he was eleven. That he wasn’t broken by those experiences was, quite frankly, remarkable. That he helped others learn how to cope with those same experiences was simply exemplary.

Something that many people more than twice his age often found themselves struggling with.

_James, Lily, I hope you both are watching,_ she thought. _Because you would be proud of him._


	14. Night School

**February 24, 2025 - Hogwarts, Great Hall**

“Wow, you _are_ big,” Came a girl’s voice.

Rubeus Hagrid blinked and looked down to his left to see the girl, Keiko if he remembered right, who came with Harry. She was a tiny one, if not necessarily short for her age. He had met smaller girls, and the way she was carrying herself-- maybe calling her a girl was a bit off.

So she was tiny, most people were to him. But she was definitely not a girl. A young woman, yes. But not a girl.

“Aye,” he said. “Comes with me mum being a giant but where are me manners. Rubeus Hagrid, Groundskeeper and Care of Magical Creatures Professor.” He held out his hand.

She smiled and took it in both of hers. “Keiko Ayano,” she said. “Harry did tell me about you. He said that you would have doted on Pina if you were there in SAO. Spoiled her rotten, really.”

Hagrid smiled, even as he felt the surprisingly strong grip she had. For all the she was thin as a rail, he heard that all those who had been through what she and Harry had were needing to rebuild their bodies back to a healthy level, there was quite a bit of strength packed into her small frame.

“Aye, that’s true,” he admitted. “She was a cute one. A bit small for a dragon, but that was fine for ya now, wasn’t it?”

Keiko nodded with a smile. “Perfectly fine,” she agreed. “Besides, if she grew to be as big as some of the dragons we ended up fighting in SAO, we wouldn’t have been able to bring her in town. And I like having her with me.” She sighed. “A shame she can’t be out here in the real world, she would probably get along with my cat.” She then got thoughtful. “Well, I hope she would.”

“Cats do what they want and like who they want,” Hagrid said, nodding.

Keiko looked at the food heaped on her plate and took a bite. Hagrid was the surprised as she began to devour the meal at a surprising rate. True, she was able to demonstrate proper table manners and was perfectly neat, but… wait, did she finish it and was filling the plate _again_? She couldn’t weigh more than ninety pounds!

He heard Harry chuckle and looked past her to see him giving Hagrid an amused look.

“I think it will take three or four plates to fill her up,” Harry said as he refilled his own plate. “It’s been a long day and both of us are feeling a bit peckish.”

**Hogwarts, Viewing Room**

“So, this is where you did the viewings of my misadventures in SAO and this is what you watched them on?” Harry asked as he looked at The Viewer.

“We did,” Hermione replied, once again noting that they really needed to come up with a better name than “The Viewer,” not that it didn’t summarize what they had been using it for over the last two years. “We would get in footage about every two weeks, covering a similar period. Not that we would be able to watch everything on them. Even with watching what were probably the highlights of that time, we were still regularly one to two months behind.”

Both Harry and Keiko nodded. Both had changed out of their more formal garb, though she hadn’t seen any sign that they _had_ clothing to change into. On the other hand, such could have been simply sent to Hogwarts in advance by the Headmaster before they went to the Ministry. They were in more casual clothing and Keiko seemed to be glad to be out of her Kimono and in something else.

Both were wearing robes over their clothing. Either to not stand out as much, or for the simple practical reason that they were _warm_. It was February in Scotland and Hogwarts was a castle that had been around for a thousand years. For all that the temperatures inside never got bitterly cold in the winter, the building was still on the chilly side once outside the classrooms, dorms and quarters for the staff and guests.

She wondered how the Headmaster was able to arrange for the two of them to stay overnight. She wasn’t upset about it, quite the opposite in fact, but she wondered how he got permission from her family. Daphne had given her some insight on what she did know about Keiko’s family. And apparently they had some bad experiences with magic in the past, to include several members and friends of the families having a particularly odd curse on them.

“Have you watched it to the end?” Keiko asked.

“Not yet, Miss Ayano,” Justin said. “Oh, pardon me. I’m Justin Finch-Fletchley.” He looked around. “Blaise, why don’t you help me set The Viewer up while everyone else does their introductions.”

Blaise looked at Hermione, who simply nodded. As he went to help Justin, she turned to the others and waited while they introduced themselves, with Daphne starting it off. As soon as they finished, Keiko smiled.

“It’s a pleasure to meet all of you,” she said. “I am Aya- ah, _gomen_ , you do it with your given names first here in the West, then your family names. I am Keiko Ayano.” She then bowed, but Hermione could see the slight embarrassment on her face.

“It’s all right, Miss Ayano,” Daphne said. “Different cultures have different rules, and you are used to doing some things differently. Just address us however you feel comfortable doing.”

Keiko smiled. “ _Arigato,_ ” she said.

Harry shook his head and looked at her. “ _Keiko-chan, anata wa nemui desu ka?_ ” He asked.

“ _Hai_ , _nemui desu,_ ” she replied.

Harry turned to Hermione. “I’m pretty sure I know what that means, Harry,” she said to him. “The two of you have had a long day, and I’m sure both of you are tired.”

Harry shrugged. “We’ll be fine for now,” he said, clearly fighting back a yawn of his own.

“Are you sure?” Hermione asked. When the two of them nodded, she smiled. “Excellent, I would like to get your perspectives. At least for a little bit. We’re supposed to be watching… November Ninth, but with the two of you here, I’m sure that we can watch December Seventh. Does that work, Daphne?”

“It does, Hermione,” came the immediate reply.

“Excellent,” she said. “If you and Keiko don’t mind, I would like some of your perspectives on that day. If not, I won’t keep the two of you, despite how nice knowing your thoughts on what went on would be. But the two of you have been up for a while, so if you need to, we can get you to the guest quarters so you can get some sleep.”

“So you just decided to go out of order here?” Harry asked curiously.

Hermione nodded.

“Well, I think you’ll find this day to be rather interesting,” he said with a smile.

Hermione gave him a look. There was something about that smile which made her think that it was more forced than had been typical of him before SAO. “Harry, are you okay with watching this?” She asked.

Harry shrugged. “It’s… going to be difficult,” he admitted. “I remember what happened there very well. Hard to forget, really.” He looked at her before looking at everyone in the room. “What we did that day _was_ a good thing, but… you’ll see. It happened in the afternoon, if that helps with finding it.”

“Don’t worry about that Harry,” came Anthony’s response. “We’ve been doing this for two years. I’m pretty sure we can by now.” He looked past everyone for a bit. “And we have a visitor. Are you looking for someone in particular, or are you just passing by, Malfoy?”

Hermione turned her attention to the Slytherin Prefect, who gazed at all of them neutrally. “I was looking for Potter and his fiancée, Goldstein,” he said. “I was hoping to talk to them, but I see that you’ll be occupying them shortly. Still, I would like to borrow them for a few minutes.”

Hermione considered the possible reasons for Draco to make that request. While he had become far less of problem since Harry killed Voldemort, he was still Draco Malfoy. An annoyance on the best of days, and one who once had a very antagonistic rivalry with Harry.

Then again, he had watched Harry’s actions when he led that raid to take out Laughing Coffin, and his shocked expression when he watched Harry kill three people, not to mention leaving most of those who survived fighting him with missing limbs before they surrendered, she doubted that he would want to cause trouble.

She saw Harry give the Slytherin Prefect a searching look before he nodded. “It will probably take them a little time to finish their preparations,” he said. “So the two of us can spare a few minutes.”

“It won’t take long,” Draco promised as he gestured for them to follow him out the room.

Harry gestured for Keiko to remain behind. “It will just be me, Malfoy,” he said. If he noticed Keiko’s put out look, he didn’t show it.

Draco nodded and turned to walk out the room.

##

Draco had led him into a classroom across the hall, thankfully. He wouldn’t admit it, but he needed a moment to calm the storm of thoughts that were going through his head and Draco was providing a handy means to do so.

Though giving their history of mutual animosity, that distraction might not do much to calm him.

“I’m sure that you are curious as to why I’m doing this,” Draco said, if slightly stiff with his words and tone, something Harry noted but decided not to comment on.

“I will admit that I am,” Harry said, keeping his voice neutral. “We certainly didn’t get along when I was still here and I was not sure that you would have changed all that much.”

“Oh, I changed,” Draco said. “But even if I wished to continue our rivalry, you will be heading back to Japan soon as it is. There wouldn’t be a point to it.” He shrugged. “That, and I watched your activities in Sword Art Online on occasion. One of those times was when you killed the Dark Lord. Another was when you led that large group against that other one. What was it called... Laughing Coffin?”

Harry nodded. There really was no point to continuing a rivalry when the participants of it would be on opposite sides of the world after this. He wasn’t surprised that Draco had watched some of what he did in SAO. His killing Tom was merely one of them. He had been told that it was showed to every student above third year, with Ginny being a notable exception. That he watched the Laughing Coffin raid, though, was a bit of a surprise.

“That latter one, the one where I led that raid against Laughing Coffin, was it simply you being there, or were you there for a different reason?” Harry asked.

Draco got thoughtful for a moment before looking Harry in the eye. “I was there to see what about that event got you to ask your fiancée to marry you in there.” he said. “I will admit that I heard about your relationship with her, Greengrass, Zabini and even Flint mentioned that things were rather obvious between you two, but that’s neither here, nor there. Your wedding was showed to the entire school, even the visiting students from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons watched.”

“And what did you think of it?” Harry asked. Not that he didn’t already have an idea. Draco hadn’t been subtle about his prejudices when they were at each other’s throats, and he doubted that they changed.

“Oh, I think you already know, Potter,” Draco said, confirming Harry’s suspicions. “But then again, whether I approved or not wouldn’t have mattered to you.”

“And it still doesn’t,” Harry confirmed. “So what is all this about?”

Draco looked about to say something when he paused, clearly gathering his thoughts. “I… don’t really know,” he said. “Coming to you seemed like a good idea at the time, but I… damn it, why did I do this?”

Harry nodded. “It’s been two years, and perhaps you did it because your first instinct was to confront me about something?” He asked. “Maybe to try and exert dominance? I would think we’re both past the age of needing to measure each other’s wands by now. But we both were in the habit of that back then, weren’t we?”

Draco nodded in response. “We did have a bit of a rivalry back then,” he admitted.

“One that was about as much a fact as saying the ocean is a bit wet,” Harry said with a snort. “True enough, but it rather understates things.”

Draco chuckled, and by the surprise he had on his face afterward, Harry thought he was surprised by that response. At the same time, he could sense that Draco was laughing as much at himself, as he was at what was said.

And it told him plenty as well. For all that Draco was trying to say that he had planned it, even if he couldn’t recall just why he planned it, he didn’t. Maybe he was coming up there for his own reasons, and saw him there. Maybe he was simply following them all to find out what was going on, Draco _was_ a Slytherin after all.

And maybe it was as he said. He thought he knew why, but now didn’t. And there was no real point to drawing this out any longer. The younger him might have tried, if only to see Draco fumble. But the two years that had passed might as well have been twenty. Without each other to play off of, they had grown in different ways.

“Malfoy, I’m going to be busy with my education in Japan for the time being,” Harry said. “I’m too well-known outside the magical world to simply fade back into it. So that means that I am going to have to finish a non-magical education. Don’t worry about the magical side of it, not that I expect you to. Arrangements are being made for that. And I need to go over the files of those who the Japanese Ministry thought would make for appropriate tutors.”

“Wouldn’t Lord Black be making those decisions?” Draco asked.

“Officially, he still is,” Harry said.

“And unofficially?” Draco asked.

“Does it really matter?” Harry asked in response.

“No, I guess not,” Draco said.

“If that’s all, I need to get back,” Harry said as he gave Draco a look. “If you’re not busy with anything, then why don’t you join in watching? You get to see how we broke free of SAO.”

“Maybe some other time,” Draco said. “But don’t let me keep you.”  
  
Harry simply nodded and left the room.

##

Daphne looked back at Harry and Keiko, the two of them had watched the events shown with unreadable expressions on their faces. From start to finish, they had remained silent, but unflinching in watching everything unfold.

_How did we not see this?_ She asked herself. If she was to look back in things, the fact that Heathcliff was actually Kayaba, the madman who trapped ten thousand people into that deadly game, was obvious.

That she wasn’t the only one didn’t make it easier, either. She was a _Slytherin_. They prided themselves on their ability to obtain information and knowing how to use it. So the fact that this had eluded her and the rest of her housemates involved in this project was galling.

"Ravenclaws will say they should have been smart enough, Griff's bold enough, and us Puffs should have caught on to how the blighter was acting."

Justin's words earned a blink and she turned slightly. He was smirking and Granger had a small, slightly embarrassed smile as she nodded. Daphne smiled back. The reminder was timely-- more than once, they had caught themselves suggesting that Potter might have been better suited to another house. It had been genial Professor Sprout who'd corrected them.

_“A plant can show radically different aspects if grown in a different place,”_ the Herbology Mistress had pointed out. “ _It's even more dramatic with animals-- if you've ever seen Hagrid's dog Fang when someone threatens a student in front of him... Salazar was not a pure Slytherin, my own house's founder was known to be cunning, brave, and a sharp wit... you are people, not mere markers of four houses the school’s founders set up to foster some competitive spirit.”_

Looking at Potter, Daphne wondered if she couldn't get a word in with him. As a _person_... well, his family had helped hers more than once…

**Headmaster’s Office**

Albus sat back and watched as Sirius took to pacing around the office. “Albus, you know that this isn’t over,” he said. “While the quick response caught them off guard and scuppered whatever they had planned, it won’t take them long to find some other reason to drag Harry back here.” He made an annoyed face. “He’s only just gotten used to the peace, he doesn’t _need_ this, damn it.”

“Be that as it may Sirius, we both knew that it was only a matter of time before someone tried anything,” Albus said. “And while most will probably assume that it was my coaching that got him through dealing with the Wizengamot, we both know that it was not so. He took my advice, true, but it was still all him down there. And you have to admit, his decision to bring Miss Ayano with him was also a shock to several.”

Sirius smirked. “I explained what the rings meant, and he used that knowledge,” he said. “For all that they aren’t, for now, legally married, she is still Lady Potter. And her badge made that clear, despite the fact that none of us sent any advance word to arrange that. Her wearing the ring was enough, and that meant that the magics that make it so that a person can’t hide who they are recognized her as such.”

Albus nodded and then shot Sirius an irritated look. “Do sit down, Sirius,” he said. “While those who planned this may have failed in gaining control of the Potter Family Assets, that wasn’t the plan for the majority of them. Some of them would have gone with this simply to get Harry back to England so they can see him for themselves. Perhaps to try and gain his trust so they can gain control that way, and some may have considered using their daughters and the potential for marriage there as well. And that doesn’t account for those who could simply be looking for a potential political or economic alliance with him in the future.”

Sirius sat down and looked at Albus. “You’re saying that more than one faction was involved in this,” he said.

“Of course more than one was involved, or would have become involved,” Albus said. “Those who were trying to get control of the money were only a small number of those who would be interested in how Harry reacted to this.” He sighed and looked at Fawkes for a moment before turning his attention back to Sirius. “A faction whose plans were doomed to failure once an audit of the Potter Family’s accounts was completed. Most of them would have known that. This isn’t the first time this has been tried, after all.” He shook his head. “No, the purpose of this wasn’t to gain control of the Potter Family assets, though that would have been fortuitous for them if they managed it.” His look at Sirius conveyed that he had realized the purpose of this maneuver as soon as he found out about it. “The majority of them simply wanted to see how he handled this. Would he handle it himself? Would he do so after seeking sound advice? Would he lash out like a petulant child who needs guidance and a firm hand?”

Sirius nodded. “They wanted to get his measure,” he said before he barked a laugh. “I don’t think they expected this though. He comes to the Ministry within two days and brings his wife with him.” He held up a hand, stalling Albus’ correction. “The engagement is a legal fiction Albus, her family and I know full well that the two of them still think of themselves as married. I’ll explain it later. But he brings her with him, and we already talked about her badge identifying her as Lady Keiko Ayano-Potter. That sent a message, as did his bringing his account manager with him to speak in front of the Wizengamot.”

Albus nodded. “As was his control of his involvement in the session,” he said. “We may have taught him a few tricks to help him in putting them off their guard, but once he was on the floor, it was all him. Everything from how he acted, to his wielding his politeness like a weapon with the same directed intent as if he had a sword in his hand.”

"Reminded me of Lily's dad, come to it," Sirius said with a smirk. "Knew when to use his sharp tongue and when to use his fists."

Albus chuckled. "Indeed. That wasn't something James could have easily pulled off."

Sirius nodded. “No, it wouldn’t have been easy for him,” he said. “Not without Lily being there to be his leash and give him advice, even if that advice was only to step on his foot or give him a swift kick in the arse.”

“I seem to recall her doing the same to you on more than one occasion,” Albus noted.

Sirius gave an unrepentant shrug. "If not her, then Remus." He looked out the window. “How is he, by the way? I’ve not been in contact with him for the last few months.”

“He is doing well, Sirius,” Albus said. “I was hoping to get him to come back as the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor this year, but those plans fell through. Last I heard, he had found a job that was proving interesting to him and they were willing to work around his unique circumstances.”

“Wonder what job he found,” Sirius said.

**Montana Badlands**

Remus ducked under the spellfire that came his way and cursed his thinking that taking a job with Aladdin would prove interesting. The fact that they were willing to work around his lycanthropy, as well as ensuring that he had access to Wolfsbane did _not_ make up for the fact that he regularly found himself investigating things that went bump in the night and fighting for his life more often than he liked.

_That’s what you get for becoming an expert on Dark Creatures, Moony,_ he thought sardonically. _And Aladdin_ was _willing to hire you despite or, knowing some of them,_ because _of your lycanthropy._ Which didn’t mean he faced no discrimination. He _was_ a werewolf, and many considered him to be a potential danger for good reason. The difference was, they were professional about it, not letting their potential prejudices color their working relationship with him.

It _was_ interesting work. Interesting in the Chinese sense of the word.

At least Director Blake's recommendation on his CV would open any number of other doors.

Another six months and his contract would be done with and he could go and try to find some safer work. Like being a Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher at Hogwarts. He did it once and got through that year with his life, limbs, sanity and dignity intact, after all.

**Hogwarts**

“He has been rather thin on the details the last time we communicated,” Albus admitted. “But I’m sure that whatever he is doing is suiting him well.”

Sirius nodded. “Well, what Harry did today will at least give us a few weeks before one of them loses any semblance of sense and tries something else,” he said. “In which case, Harry is going to sic his account manager on the idiot.”

“And if that isn’t a sufficient deterrent?” Albus asked.

Sirius’ answering smile was cold, but he remained quiet.

Albus looked at Sirius and took in his expression before nodding. While he doubted that Harry would be driven to using violent means to solve this problem, he was reminded of the Potter Family Motto: ‘ _Pono victoriam factis’_ or ‘In deeds, lay victory’. The Potter Family was never one to rest on their laurels, they always did something.

Whether it was with words, or by action, Harry knew the value of talking things out and of being willing to act when necessary. _What was it that one American muggle leader once said?_ Albus mused. _Ah, right. Speak softly and carry a big stick._

Anything that could get Sirius to be smiling in a way that showed his Black heritage had to be quite the stick indeed.

“So, when do you need to head back to Japan?” He asked.

“We will head back there tomorrow morning,” Sirius said. “Both of them have physical therapy appointments on Wednesday. I would say we should head back right now, but it’s already six in the morning there, and the two of them have been awake for around twenty-four hours. They need some sleep, or they will crash hard when they get back.” He shook his head. “As it is, it’s going to take a few days for them, and you for that matter, to get back to a normal sleep schedule.”

Albus nodded. He knew from long experience just how problematic it was getting back onto a proper sleep schedule after being up for as long as his guests had been awake and got some sleep. “I can talk to Poppy about giving them something to help them get proper sleep at a normal time when they need it,” he said. "Something that won't affect their dreaming sleep-- it's the most restorative, but the Dreamer's Draught can be as dangerous as Dreamless Sleep."

“Thanks, Albus.” Sirius said.

**Hogwarts Infirmary**

She had insisted on looking them both over, despite Mister Potter’s protests that they were doing fine. Muggle Healers were more capable than they were in her youth, and she did pay some attention to advancements there. One never knew when they might come up with something capable of taking care of things that they didn’t, after all. The Healing Profession was somewhat more willing to adopt or duplicate methods and techniques from the muggle world, should they prove effective, than other professions.

Medicine, however, they rarely touched. Potions were, by far, often more effective and safer than their muggle equivalents. And other things they didn’t adopt were due to them having methods that already worked and worked well. No need to transfigure a new wheel for your carriage when the one you have is in sufficiently good shape.

So while she had no doubt that the muggles had taken good care of them, her own professional pride insisted that she saw how well they, or at least one of them, were doing for herself. Miss Ayano was Harry's intended-- if she went with the stated roles, no matter how much the two clearly wished otherwise-- so she'd get her full attention as well.

Poppy looked at the information that the diagnostic spell had given her-- transcribed by her own hand, still sore from so much writing. Both Mister Potter and Miss Ayano, while not dangerously underweight, were still below the average for youths their age and size. Still, they were doing better than she expected.

Mister Potter had grown during the two years, now standing at just shy five feet and five inches tall. His weight was only seven stone eleven, or one hundred and five pounds. Still a little short and underweight for his age and gender, but the diagnostics showed that he was soon to enter a growth spurt anyway, which would probably increase his height closer to the average. And with how much she saw him eat, he was going to be gaining the ten or so pounds he needed to be at a healthy weight. Still, he seemed to take after his mother's father when it came to height-- Henry Evans had been a good head shorter than his son in law. James joked about it often, until they needed to back each other up in a scrap.

_Why has Fate systematically stripped Harry of any relative worth the blood in their marrow? Henry Evans would be just the grandfather Harry needed right now._ Poppy bit back a sigh. Bedside manner often warred with the urge to gather Harry Potter in your arms and hug the young man's pain away. She calmed her thoughts and focused back onto the matter at hand.

For all that he was neglected during his childhood, she knew the signs. At least his relatives had made sure that he had at least enough food to meet the bare minimum. "The Bare Minimum" was in no way the recommended diet for anyone, let alone a growing wizard with magic placing demands on his metabolism-- but it was better than malnourishment. Still, his bone and muscle density seemed to have grown, which was outside what she expected. Not unusually so, but it was a small surprise. Perhaps his magic had helped? But that in itself would require fuel. Maybe, like many a neglected or abused child, Harry simply took every opportunity to "supplement" his diet.

She didn’t have Miss Ayano’s medical history, but at only five feet and one inch tall, her weight was only six stone four, or eighty-eight pounds. What surprised her was when the girl said that she was still more than ten kilos under what she weighed two years ago, while only looking like she only weight fifty kilos. She knew the metric system, she had to with the muggleborn students often using it, even though they were often comfortable with much of the Imperial System. Again, not that much of a surprise, save for what she learned.

She had watched the girl eat almost as much as a fit and fully grown adult would, and the diagnostics showed that her body was metabolizing the food at a far greater rate than would be normal, even for a youth going through puberty. And her muscle and bone density was half again what a girl her age, even one who was fit, would normally have.

Of course, there might be an explanation, however esoteric. She had treated Asian students before, some of whom came from families that had such in their histories. Merlin, some of the British families-- the Bulstrodes came to mind. Every single one, built large and powerful. Millicent Bulstrode was a proud girl with an unnerving smile. She had to be-- if she let herself get baited into a physical scuffle, she could flatten most of her yearmates. Even then, she tended to use less force than most. Miss Granger would have been one of Poppy’s patients if their scrap during their second year had gone beyond hair pulling. Though Miss Bulstrode was more likely to use her family’s tradition of grappling to subdue, than to resort to physical blows.

Pulled and strained ligaments, maybe fractured bones if Miss Bulstrode used more force than actually necessary, but nothing that wasn’t easily or quickly fixed, but Miss Granger would be feeling it for hours as Poppy patched her up. Though the polyjuice incident, she knew exactly what caused Miss Granger’s transformation into an anthropomorphic cat, her explanation of it being a prank that went too far notwithstanding, was enough of a lesson about how unwise it was to scrap with a Bulstrode there.

"Your family-- do they have a history of practicing... esoteric martial arts, Miss Ayano?" Poppy wondered aloud. The girl-- no, she was no more a girl than Harry was a boy. The young woman's eyes widened, and that was all the answer Poppy needed. “That explains why your muscle density and metabolism are higher than average.” She noted.

"... You may have heard of my Grandfather," Ayano allowed.

"Oh? Perhaps Master Miyagi?" Poppy prodded gently, more to make small talk than anything else.

"His name is Ranma--"

"By the Lady's Lake, you're a Saotome," Poppy muttered, but she kept herself professional. "There have been volumes written on your family, especially by the Chinese Amazon mystics."

Miss Ayano blinked. “That’s… not surprising,” she said. “Granny Cologne is an old friend of the family. Family really, since Auntie Shampoo was adopted into the Saotome clan. That she would write up things on my grandpa’s family..." She shook her head. “No, not surprising at all.”

"Oh. Perhaps Keiko can convince her dear granny to stop by, eh, Headmaster?" Came Sirius’ voice from the entrance to the infirmary.

Albus' beard did nothing to obscure his blush. "I'm, er, sure Lady Cologne is quite busy, Sirius--" he began.

"Oh, I do recall her saying she'd make herself available to us at _any_ time, Albus," Poppy said.

She had to smirk as the Headmaster went pale. Really, she and Minnie shouldn't tease the poor man the way they did. She looked the diagnostics over and nodded.

Poppy looked over the diagnostics one more time. “Well, the two of you are doing well all things considered,” she said. “I would recommend that you up your protein intake a little more, but your diets are sufficient for now. I take it that you’re following the advice of your Healers?”

Both nodded.

“Excellent,” Poppy stated. “Now, it is late, and the two of you need to get some rest.” She gave the two of them a knowing look. “And I mean actual sleep. I know how teenagers can be.”

Harry yawned. “You don’t need to worry about that, Madam Pomphrey,” he said. “As for how we can be, by what do you mean?” The question was asked in a tone that had so much false innocence in it that, were she a magistrate, she would have found him guilty for whatever he did on it alone.

Poppy raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think I need to give certain lessons to you two,” she said drily. “And if I had to, I would remind you of the potential consequences of them. If only to keep Miss Ayano’s family from inflicting you on some other poor healer as a patient.”

“No worries about that,” Harry said quickly. “Her uncles and grandfather didn’t have to make any threats, they just left that up to her dad. I don’t want to see if he was being honest about his threat of making me a demonstration subject on the effects of Chlorine trifluoride on a human body.”

Poppy nodded. She didn’t know what that substance was, but if Harry’s nervous reaction was any indication, then Miss Ayano’s father gave him an equivalent of the ‘I have a wand and they won’t, or worse find your body if you do anything to her’ speech. What did the muggles call it? Oh, right, the Shovel Speech. How quaint.

As they left, she looked at Albus and Sirius for a moment. “Albus, you too Sirius, if you could stay behind for a moment, I want to talk with you. And if Mister and Miss Weasley could be so kind, they can escort Mister Potter and Miss Ayano to the guest quarters. They have been lurking outside for the last few minutes.”

She hid a smirk as the two students she identified came in, looking sheepish. One of her predecessors, who had also risen to become Headmistress, had put a ward in place that would alert her to anyone who approached her Infirmary, and even identify them if they were students. The same ward that graced the stairwell leading to the Headmaster’s office, to be precise.

**February 27, 2025 - Alfheim, Arun**

“So, the two of you were gone for two days because you were in England,” Asuna said with a nod. “I won’t ask how you managed that, this isn’t the right place, but it must have been serious.” She, Silica, Yui and Lux were seated around a table and enjoying some time with each other. Kirito and Rain had accompanied Strea to the Valley of Dragons to participate in the regular, if friendly, brawls between players that happened there. And Harry was busy with something and wasn’t going to be online for another hour, considering what Silica said.

Something about meeting with some potential tutors for his other education. Meaning that he was making arrangements for his magical education right now.

“It was,” Silica said as she groomed and preened Pina, the dragon’s purring chirps demonstrating how much she liked the treatment. “Apparently someone had the idea of getting control of some family assets of Harry’s.”

“And that required you two to go to England?” Lux asked.

“Only him,” Silica clarified. “He made sure to ask my parents if I could come, explaining that my ring means that the issue does, technically, concern me as well.”

“Why?”

“Because of reasons we can’t really talk about here,” Silica said simply.

Asuna nodded, even as she made a mental note to get with Silica and Harry at a later date to get a proper explanation.

“So it went well then?” Yui asked.  
  
Silica smirked. “I would say so,” she said. “A shame we couldn’t stay there for a few more days, though.”

“Why not?” Lux asked.

“Well, we both had our physical therapy appointments at Nakano General yesterday, for one,” Silica said. “I know that Harry does intend to head back for a quick visit to where he was born though. Hopefully before April eleventh.” Her expression became somber. “To visit his parents’ graves and pay his respects.”

“And you plan to be there with him if you can,” Asuna said. She knew her friend well enough to know that she would want to be there to give him some emotional support. Just as Harry would insist on being there if she needed it. The two of them had been there for each other too long for her to expect any different.

Silica nodded.


	15. Educating Oneself for One's New Reality

**March 1, 2025 - Nerima, Nekohanten**

Asuna looked at everyone sitting at the table before focusing on Harry. Rather than try and arrange a meeting with just him and Keiko to get more information on just what Keiko had said a few days ago, she decided to go with one of their get togethers. She had persuaded everyone in having it in Nerima due to it being the safest place to talk about certain matters without worrying about things that shouldn’t get out being known.

She took a deep drink of her tea as the waitress gathered up the dishes from their completed meals. Before SAO, the sheer volume of the food would have been off putting to her, but with the fact that she was still having to gain weight and follow the nutritional guidelines laid out for her, this was more than satisfactory.

The fact that she had already begun to discuss the offer that Keiko’s grandfather had given to her and the others to her parents also helped. While they hadn’t given their approval, yet, they also hadn’t disapproved, either. Especially since she was working on arranging a meeting between them, and the two of them were not going to refuse a meeting with a Living National Treasure.

They were also unlikely to refuse to give permission, either, for the same reason. Grandmaster Saotome didn’t necessarily _have_ to seek their permission, he could make the offer to only Asuna, and if she accepted it, that was pretty much it. She wasn’t going to refuse such an offer and she doubted her parents would as well. While it wasn’t a legal obligation to take the offer of training, custom dictated that one didn’t refuse such an offer given freely by a Living National Treasure unless they had a very good reason to do so.

Though Grandmaster Saotome was one, given the martial nature of his art, was a mystery to her. But she had _seen_ the certification that had been presented by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology recognizing him as such.

_That’s for later,_ she thought as she put her cup down. “Well, now that we’re all fed and Kazuto’s stomach isn’t trying to eat him, we might as well get started,” she said. “Harry, Keiko mentioned a few things that I wanted to get more information on from you about your little trip to England.”

Harry nodded as he reached under the table for the satchel he had brought with him. “I thought as much,” he said as be pulled it up and laid it out on the table. “What do you want to know?”

Asuna looked at the satchel. “Keiko said something about someone going after your family assets,” she said. “What does _that_ mean?”

“Exactly that,” Harry said. “I had suspicions my family was wealthy, but not how wealthy. You don’t get access to a vault with thirty thousand pounds worth of money for your own use otherwise. My parents set it up for me to start out with when I reached my majority, but also was there for spending money before then. It would have refilled to that amount every year. Probably to teach me some financial responsibility. More of a family tradition there than anything.” He shook his head “Of course, this being the magical side, they’re coins called Galleons, but who’s counting the coins here?”

He opened the satchel and brought out a folder. “If they were still alive, that would be it, but I have access to the full amount right now,” he said. “I have the summary of it all here, so give me a moment.” He opened the folder and began to rifle through it. “Summary of my family’s investments in the magical world, non-magical investments, list of patents… oh, here we go!” He pulled out a couple of sheets and handed them to everyone. Asuna got two, one that was parchment, one that was paper. “I had to get the exchange rates for galleons to pounds first, and then did the conversions to Yen. The conversion to yen is based on what the exchange rate was when I did this.”

Asuna looked them over, starting with the one that was on paper. The one on Parchment was most likely the same, but the paper was far easier for her to read due to being a printout. Her eyes widened as she saw the figures, which laid out the value of his family’s investments, their returns and even the taxation on them, all of which was not an inconsiderable sum.

Given the shocked looks on the faces of the others, they were every bit as surprised as she was. It wasn’t the largest fortune out there, not even close, but it still was a tidy sum.

“ _Yebena mat,_ you’re loaded, _”_ Nijika said finally. Both Hiyori and Kazuto still had shocked looks on their faces, not that Asuna could blame them.

Half a billion yen. That was what he had immediate access to on an annual basis. Granted, most of it was set up to go back into the investments, but he can be said to make half a billion yen _every year_. He could have only that and not have to work a day in his life so long as he was careful with his money. _And given how he was in SAO even when he no longer needed to worry about finances he isn’t likely to turn into a spendthrift,_ she thought wryly as she put the document down.

“I can see why some would be interested in gaining control of them,” she said. “I take it that didn’t happen?”

Harry smirked. “I had to go to England and raise a bit of a ruckus, but yes, that attempt was shot down,” he said.

Keiko snorted. “I’ll say,” she said. “You went into that Ministry, and told a bunch of people just where to take that plan in pretty much the same way he told idiots off in Aincrad.”

“So, cold politeness hiding just how furious he was while he ever so politely told them to go pound sand?” Nijika asked.

Keiko nodded. “The military bodyguards were bit much, though.”

“I think that was the goblins passing it to some people who have been paying a bit more attention to things in the magical community recently,” Harry said. “The fact that we were given a VIP escort, I think, was Downing Street, or maybe Buckingham Palace, given that it was Sergeant Major Gravel who asked for volunteers among them, sending a message of their own.”

“What?” Hiyori asked. “Downing Street? Buckingham Palace? What do you…? Oh, _oh_.” She smirked. “So it was the non-magical government telling your magical government that they’re watching. And you would use that in your own sending a message to whoever was trying this.”

Harry nodded. “It’s not talked about on the magical side, but our autonomy only goes so far,” he said. “We are allowed to govern ourselves, but we are still accountable to the Right Honorable Prime Minister, even if that authority isn’t often exercised. It’s called the _Ministry_ of Magic, after all.” He shrugged. “That, and I’m fairly sure that there were a lot of people who didn’t want me to… ah… inconvenience the cleaning staff.”

Asuna raised an eyebrow. “Inconvenience the cleaning staff?” She asked. “Why would- oh. Right. Your reputation in SAO.” She shook her head. “Why did people latch onto _that_ of all things? If they didn’t attack you, Keiko, one of us, or anyone else, you used _words_ , you didn’t draw your sword and stab the source of the problem. Well, not unless it was a mob, but we all did that.”

“Keep in mind, magical society is an armed society, Asuna,” Harry said. “Just like in SAO, really.” He looked at everyone. “Think about that for a moment. You all might have heard the saying about an armed society being a polite society. Even if you hadn’t, SAO means that we all have experience with that saying. That escort was to ensure that things didn’t escalate, which meant protecting people from us as much as protecting us from others. We all have had to be rather… sharp... with people in the past.”

“That’s one way of putting it,” Nijika snarked. “So they were there to keep you two from having to pointedly demonstrate your debating skills?”

“Better than having to be rather cutting with an idiot,” Harry said. “Getting into a battle of wits with an unarmed person wouldn’t be sporting, after all.”

They all snorted. For all that none of them talked about it, SAO had given all six of them a rather skewed perception of how to deal with problematic people. Be polite, show no fear and have a blade ready just in case.

A perception that had no place in the outside world.

“So, given that you are the heir to a fortune, there were people who were trying to wrest control of it from you?” Asuna asked.

Harry shrugged. “A few were,” he said. “Most of those who would have been behind it wanted to see how I would react to it. Take my measure, in other words.”

“Why?” Hiyori asked.

“Because of who I am to them,” Harry said bluntly. “I have a title there. The Boy-Who-Lived, due the first attempt on my life by a certain bastard who I dealt with, _permanently_ , last year. You might remember my admitting that I was quite satisfied with the result of that little argument between us.” He looked at them all.

Asuna nodded. She knew exactly what he was talking about. It was, to her knowledge, the only time that Harry hadn’t seen killing someone as, at best, a regrettably necessary act. Which said a lot about the person he killed, and none of it good.

Every other time Harry had killed in SAO, he would go entire nights without sleep, only getting a few hours or fitful sleep when exhaustion forced him to. He felt remorse for his actions, even if he didn’t regret them, paradoxical as that would seem to many. And given that all of the ones he killed were murderous sadists, that said more about Harry’s character than mere words could convey.

Harry valued life. He valued it greatly. And he absolutely _loathed_ the fact SAO had put him into situations where he ended up killing. Either by himself being forced to by circumstances beyond his control, or by willingly walking into those situations so others wouldn’t have to. For someone to be so bad, so _evil_ , that Harry would kill him with a clean conscience? She didn’t want to know just what that kind of person would be like.

“But why would that have anything to do with it?” Hiyori asked.

Harry took in a deep breath. “Because why not?” He asked. “These are people who see me as a means to an end. Even those who made the attempt expected that what they were planning was doomed to failure. If it did succeed, then good, they get enriched at my expense and strip me of assets I could potentially use against them in the future. But most of them wanted to see how I handled this and maybe to find a way to influence me. You know, negotiate and compromise. Force me to give ground on some minor thing that I have no idea about and in my ignorance, probably wouldn’t care about anyway?”

“They wanted to see if you had any idea of how to handle the responsibility,” Kazuto said. “They wanted to play on your ignorance and see you declared unfit to handle the responsibility, if only due to your age. That makes sense. You’re fifteen, so you shouldn’t have to.”

“Too bad for them, his grandfather set things up for just this situation,” Keiko said.

“No, he didn’t set it up for this situation, dear,” Harry said. “He set it up so that _he_ wouldn’t have to manage every little aspect of it. My dad kept it going since he saw it as a good idea and I see no problem in having it continue doing so. The Hook Clan, the goblins who manage the Potter accounts and investments with Gringotts bank, have a lot of freedom to make decisions on the money and where it goes. The final say has always been in the hands of the heads of the family but the bank is allowed to exercise its judgment and make a nice profit in the meantime as well.” He gave the ring on his finger a meaningful look before giving Keiko’s ring an equally meaningful look. “The investments give a decent return on average. What I gave gave all of you to look at is only the summary. Basically what was set up for heads, meaning Keiko and myself, to play with. We talked it over and…” He then went back to his satchel, rifled through it for a few moments and pulled out some other papers.

“How would you like a little, if only to start out with?” He asked as he handed them over. “It’s only until we’re all done with school or we turn twenty, whichever comes first, but it will require your permission. You keep what you don't spend. Think of it as some funds to help you get started.”

Asuna looked it over and felt her eyes widen. It was only a drop in the bucket when compared to what he made, only one percent of it really. But when the fact that _ninety percent_ of what he otherwise made went back into investments, that one percent became ten percent of what was left for his personal use. She glanced up and saw everyone’s reactions. Nijika gave Harry a searching look before nodding in acceptance. Hiyori looked ready to protest what Harry was doing, only to have Keiko quietly move over and talk to her.

But Kazuto merely looked at it and nodded before reaching for a pen and signing on the dotted line at the bottom.

Asuna looked it over one more time, making sure she read correctly. It was only ten percent of what Harry’s family didn’t put back into investments, or around five million yen, which was still a decent sum. Especially since, with the exception of Nijika, they would be able to save what they don’t use for three or four years. "Harry, I--"

"What your family gives you is good, great even," Harry said. "I'm just... joining them in investing in you. Giving you some more options. It's not a handout. Griphook alone would want to smack me around and string me up by my intestines if I did that. He's my vault steward, and when I started talking about helping friends he got this look in his eye."

"'There is a difference between investing in one's allies and throwing money at them,'" Keiko said. "I'll give him this, Griphook was obvious that he has a dim view of humanity overall but he's honest about it."

"Given what I've heard of goblins in the United Kingdom from Mina, that's saying something,” a man’s voice said. “Potter and company."

Asuna joined her friends in looking up.

"Blake and family," Harry greeted the American. "How... interesting to meet you here."

"Is Head-wiggu here?" the girl August Blake was holding said.

"No, Alice, sorry," Harry said, and the girl pouted.

"Alice, you just spent three hours playing with Raye's ravens," her mother chided.

"Yeah," the girl muttered.

"Harry raises a good point," Asuna pointed out, looking their California born friend over. "If you just wanted ramen--"

"His godmother's servants include excellent chefs, yes," Ami agreed, taking Alice from her husband. "But the soon to be buff again civil servant comes bearing gifts."

"Should we beware?" Keiko asked, smirking and narrowing her eyes.

"I bear information," Blake clarified. "A heads up, so to speak."

"For me?" Harry asked, even as a trio of chairs were brought over for Blake and his family.

"And Asuna," Blake corrected. "Because, shock and awe, being the Man-The-Brits-Like-To-Foist-Hyphens-On is only about half the draw it was back in your homeland."

"And thank God it’s down _half_ the bloody draw," Harry muttered. "Sorry, but I think you know what my opinions on that are. Order first, then inform Asuna, then me."

"Miso with pork, three... and yes, she can handle it," Blake said as his daughter gave the server a proud look. "Asuna, it's to do with your family."

"Well, then, my guild should know," Asuna answered smoothly. Blake smiled.

"As you wish," he agreed amicably. "A group of your relatives is trying to intercede 'on your behalf' in the matter of schooling. The government here is giving them a run around, but they're likely to try to stick their noses in."

"They wish me to go to the school originally intended rather than the SAO survivor school," Asuna grumbled.

"Actually, they've got tutors lined up," Gus said, scowling. "I happened to overhear a few of them suggesting it was for your own good and separating you from the murders you'd fallen in with. Their words."

Asuna had to clamp down on her anger. "I see," she said. _At least I know mom, for once, is not involved in something like this._ She thought. Oh, she didn’t doubt that her own mother would not be against lining up some tutors. Academics was something she would want her daughter to excel in, after all. But separate her from everyone else?

Two years ago, Asuna would have expected as much of the woman, but now? No, she had gotten a positive impression of the others during the visit. If anything, she would be trying to subtly push them all toward academic excellence as well. It also helped that she knew full well that her mother was _still_ displeased about the attempts of some in Kyoto trying to pressure the family head to get Asuna disowned.

Wait a moment, how did he happen to overhear them talking? She gave him a narrow-eyed look.

“Most of my family lives in Kyoto. In fact, most of the ones who are probably behind this are there unless something brought them to Tokyo,” She noted.

August smirked. “I have my ways,” he answered the implied question.

_Meaning that someone closer to home got wind of it and decided to have him pass it on since he was going to tell Harry something anyway,_ she thought. She knew that Harry was being watched, discretely guarded really. He had told her as much. It only made sense that the rest of them would be as well. Maybe not guarded, but definitely observed.

“Give your sources my thanks then,” she said.

August nodded and then turned to Harry, switching to English. "Some of the... more notable assholes--"

"It's 'arseholes', Septic Tank," Harry shot with a grin.

"Up yours, Wanker," Gus shot back. "These luminaries in your government want to force British tutors of their choice on you,” he said. “My mom may have an alternative if the local government wants to fuck with them."

Harry smiled slowly. "Agent Blake," he said, and if Harry could be biting in Japanese he was absolutely _caustic_ in English. And with his smile...

Asuna knew that smile. Harry knew what was going on and he had an _idea_. Someone was about to learn the hard way why Harry didn’t need a weapon in his hands to put someone in his or her place, even if it tended to cut down the time needed to resolve a matter..

"Yes, Lord Potter?"

" _I_ would like to fuck with them," he said. “I dare say, The Ministry of Shugenja might be positively overjoyed by having one less magical student to worry about. Especially one who needs to be taught under a different standard. Well, so long as he or she is properly qualified.”

“Former Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts,” August said. “And he finished the year in one piece and in decent standing. He also finished it in one piece and his sanity relatively intact. I heard the poor bastard is thinking that going back to that would be safer.”

“He broke the sequence then,” Harry said, still smiling. “Or perhaps I did. I did hear that Tom wanted the job at one time. I can guess as to the origin of the supposed curse there when Dumbledore didn’t give it to him. And if that was the case, then I ended it. With three feet of steel and fire as I got to the heart of the matter of my disagreement with him.”

August slowly grinned. "There's this werewolf that knew your father currently in my mother's employ..."

At her snort, the others started pressing Asuna to explain. Well, not Keiko. Going by the cat like grin, she clearly understood enough to know what her husband was thinking.

_And here, I can think that,_ Asuna said as she began to translate what was being said. From the evil grins on the faces of everyone else, there was going to be much schadenfreude to be had at the discomfiture of others.

There was a reason why players in SAO didn’t want to piss and of them off and it wasn’t out of fear of their capacity for violence. Well, not entirely.

##

Chiaki watched as August left the Nekohanten, nodding back as the man who was Lady Shiba’s godson met his eyes and nodded. Harry would have likely figured out that it was the Shibas who had passed on the bit of information involving Miss Yuuki’s family.

While the young Lord Potter was watched and guarded by the Shiba Clan, ostensibly to keep him out of trouble, they kept an eye on all of his friends as well. Partially to make sure that they kept the existence of magic in confidence, outside of this district in Nerima at least, and partially to make sure that none of them could be used, or turned, against him.

The latter was of particular concern, especially with the shake ups in England that had happened over the last couple of years upsetting the political balance there. And to keep the problems there from coming here to Japan. Theodore Nott’s time in the custody of their law enforcement might not have unveiled any conspiracies against the young man coming to Japan, but it did indicate to them that such might happen sooner than expected.

His recent trip to England in response to the amateurish attempt to wrest control of his family’s assets from him also said as much. The entire thing was doomed to failure from the start, and the copy of the _Daily Prophet_ that had been sent from England by Albus Dumbledore showed that he had handled it nicely.

But he also made sure to keep to his actual reason being there. Anything else didn’t concern him in his eyes. A bit mistaken, if understandable. Harry Potter was a lot of things, but patient with politics was not one of them. He could have shot down this latest wrinkle in his life there had he allowed it to be brought up, which it almost certainly would have.

Then again, August’s idea was the kind of thing that would appeal to Lord Potter’s sense of humor. Why allow the choice to be made for him when he could choose someone to tutor him that had the credentials to teach him to British standards? True, it was only in one subject, but the man would know the British standards for other subjects, which would allow for any Japanese tutors to tailor their lessons to suit them.

That said tutor was a werewolf was a nice way to give those pushing for this a nice two-fingered salute in the process. And if he learned more than what he needed to in addition? That was a bonus.

**Setagaya, Yuuki Residence**

Kyouko could see the irritation in her daughter’s posture the moment she saw her. It was a subtle thing, really. A slight tensing of the shoulders, a narrowing of the eyes, the thin set to her lips. Those small things which took awareness of them and then years of practice to control.

She met Asuna’s eyes, and she saw them flash briefly before she brought herself under control, but it was enough. “I would ask what is bothering you but I already have an idea,” she said. “Somehow, you found out what some of your father’s cousins were planning.”

“Were?” Asuna asked in a level voice.

“Were,” Kyouko confirmed. “Ryo put a stop to it, though there is a part of their plan which does have merit.”

“If you are implying that I should distance myself from them because of a perception that their own actions influenced mine…” Asuna began.

“Far from it,” Kyouko denied. “I am not going to alienate you about your association with them. How much of it was their influence and how much of it was you simply adapting to being there is difficult to separate. Did they have an influence on you? They certainly did. Just as _you_ have had an influence on them.”

Asuna blinked, clearly not expecting those words.

“No, the only part of the plan that I remotely approve of is the part about arranging for some tutors,” Kyouko said. “And even then, that would be to supplement your education at that school, not replace it. The government didn’t go to all that trouble to set that institution up for you all to give parents and families a chance to say ‘no’.”

“That’s rather surprising,” Asuna said. “Not the fact that you would like the tutors idea. That would be like you, if only to stack the deck in favor of me getting into a good university. The fact that the government isn’t giving the families of SAO Survivors much choice in the matter, on the other hand, is.” She got thoughtful. “Or perhaps, it isn’t. They would want to keep an eye on us all, if only to ensure we came out of SAO reasonably well adjusted.”

Kyouko nodded. That was the truth right there. If it wasn’t for the SAO Survivor School being set up, she would have planned on getting Asuna into a cram school Granted, that plan wasn’t completely shelved and could be put into action if she thought that the school wasn’t providing enough educational benefit for her daughter. And even then, it would be a lot of trouble, a lot of favors having to be called in and burned really, to implement. Asuna was correct in her supposition on the school’s purpose.

Those who survived SAO and were still minors could be more easily kept in one place this way. Ensuring that they came out of that experience well-adjusted would be one of the goals of such an institution. The other would be to ensure that none of them developed sociopathic tendencies.

She had observed Asuna’s friends when they visited and none of them showed any signs of such. Yes, all of them had killed, but even Mister Potter, the one with the largest number of kills, didn’t strike her as a sociopath. Dangerous in his own way? He certainly is. But only if provoked. Otherwise, he was polite, though there was an edge of steel to him even then.

Then again, the same applied to Asuna and the rest of her friends as well.

If only the rest of those vultures would realize that they weren’t dealing with a traumatized girl, but poking an alpha wolf with a stick. An alpha wolf who led a pack of her own that had resources and connections to call upon. She had, discreetly, had all of her daughter’s friends investigated and got rather firmly, if politely, told to mind her own business. At least one of them had connections.

As for how she learned of it, chances were that there was another survivor, one who lived down in Kyoto, who found out and passed it on. Perhaps that Argo girl. She may not have watched the streamed footage all that often, but she did notice the often mischievous player who dealt with information. She had a Kyoto accent, even if she did give herself some of the affectations of having a rural Kansai accent in her speech.

"It wasn't Argo," Asuna said, and had the cheek to smirk at her mother's blinking face. "I may not have a Doctorate, but I do have years of being your daughter. It was the American."

"Ah, the subordinate to her, you knew him as Gus there,” Kyouko said. “A Mr... Blake?"

"August Blake. His mother is in the government in America," Asuna noted. "He and Harry share a tie here in Japan, and that's... really the most I can say without asking. But that tie and the fact he credits us with letting him live to see his daughter means he feels he owes us. And get your own contacts, Mother, I know that look."

Kyouko allowed herself a small smile. Asuna from before... she doubted she could joke with. _And all it took was a near death experience or two, or ten, or a hundred for all I know,_ a bitter part of her thought. "An introduction?"

"Do I get a say in my tutors...?" Asuna countered, one eyebrow raised.

Kyouko nodded. “And I take it you’re going to want your friends being tutored as well?” She asked.

“Oh, definitely,” Asuna said. “Though Harry has some studies where he is going to have a tutor of his own in. Something about a course of study in England which has some specific standards that must be met."

"... I could twist a few arms, see if--"

"No," Asuna said, firmly. "That's Harry's, and he has asked that I don't share what few details I know. I had to sign an official and properly legal non-disclosure agreement just for what I do know as it is."

Kyouko nodded, filing away the fact that she had not been asked to cosign that agreement as her daughter's guardian. And Shouzou would have mentioned it if he had. Just what did she learn that required such? "I do expect there's things you'll want tutoring in that your friends have no interest in or grasp of, so I suppose that's fair."

"Kazuto might be all for the math parts,” Asuna noted. “Nothing he said directly, but he knew how SAO worked far too well to not have an understanding of programming. Then again, I did hear that he managed to hack the National Registry… at ten.”

Kyouko blinked. “He did _what_ now?” She asked. “That is one of the most secure publicly accessible databases in Japan. And he hacked it? _At ten?_ ”

"He left them a note so they could fix the holes," Asuna assured her.

“He's lucky they didn’t go after him,” Kyouko muttered. “I know that his doing so is… White Hat Hacking, but his doing it without being asked, or asking for permission… that’s cutting it dangerously close to actual criminal hacking.”

"In his defense, he was a ten year old. If the government had wanted to treat him as a criminal... well, he left his name and an apology with his notes, apparently," Asuna said.

It was clear to Kyouko that Asuna was enjoying making her mother gape far too much. But she was a parent.

She could play the long game.

**Kawagoe, Kirigaya Residence**

_Young man, we would appreciate it if you didn’t look at our source code like this,_ came a line of text in his browser, causing Kazuto to blink.

"Huh?" he said before chuckling. _Sorry,_ he typed. _Was wondering if ALO’s security was as good as SAO’s._

_Better, we hope. We have no wish for a repeat of what happened to you and what a few... darker hats tried to do to you,_ came the reply. _From the metadata, you used your AmuSphere as a backdoor?_

_Yes,_ Kazuto admitted. _You caught on a bit sooner than I'd anticipated._

There was a pause of a few seconds. _We were warned about you,_ came the response. _Something about hacking a government database._

_Oh, do they still talk about that?_ Kazuto asked. Not that they were the only ones who could have informed the ALO I.T. Staff. Asuna could have just as easily let it slip to her parents.

_They're the civil service, son. They have a memory that outlasts Prime Ministers._

_Or one of my friends, say a certain daughter of your CEO, let it slip to her parents,_ Kazuto replied.

_That was actually going to be our second warning... though it is why we caught you and close that browser window, young man._ Even through the medium of text, Kazuto caught the exasperation.

_Apologies. I'm sending you exactly how I got in-- and while it wouldn’t get me anywhere near the neural interfaces--_

_You can reach a worrying amount of personal data, yes,_ came the reply. And then... a link.

Kazuto frowned at it. _This is...?_

The reply was near instant. _Our security bounties page. Go through the right channels for your fun, son. (ΦωΦ);_

_Ah, thank you._

"I never know whether to be glad or afraid when they show a sense of humor," Kazuto muttered to himself as he copied the link to check in a separate virtual browser. _And isn't that a mouthful, a virtual browser in Virtual Reality,_ he thought idly. There went this 'secondary account', he made--

_You should be afraid...._

Kazuto started, then groaned. "So I see," he agreed, going to log off and log back on 'in character.'

Hacking as Kirito would just be plebeian. And next time he talked to Asuna, he was going to express his exasperation with her on letting it out that he moonlighted as a white hat hacker. But first, he would let RECT know about the holes he found using the AmuSphere as a backdoor. It shouldn’t have been that easy. If he couldn’t break into SAO using the Nerve Gear in a similar fashion, then he shouldn’t have been able to do so for ALO.

**March 4, 2025 - Bethesda, MD, Aladdin HQ**

Remus walked down the hall to the Director’s office, wondering what was going on for him to be summoned to her office. To the best of his recollection, he hadn’t done anything to warrant a disciplinary hearing and even then, it would have been handled by Robert Walford, the man in charge of the section he had been assigned to, before getting the Director involved. As a contractor and foreign national that was hired on due to his expertise with the various magical, and supernatural for that matter, creatures and beings that went bump in the night, his access was limited to only what was required for his job. Then again, that was the case for everyone who worked for Aladdin.

He didn’t know the details of how he, a British citizen, could be allowed to work for Aladdin even on a contract basis, only that he was. Something to do with how the muggles had something that was slightly similar in place with their own agencies. If you squinted at them. While drunk.

_Whatever it is, it allows me to work for them on a contractual basis,_ he thought as he pushed that musing out of his mind. The injuries he received during his last mission were on the mend but he still had a limp, not that he was complaining. The benefit of his contract with Aladdin was that he received the best medical care he had since his days at Hogwarts.

Which was a good thing, given that he often came back from the occasional op he was sent on hexed up pretty good. Nothing permanent or particularly scarring, but some of those hexes and curses he got hit with hurt almost as much as his transformations did, and those had him feel his bones breaking, his muscles tearing, and his internal organs rupturing before they reformed in his more lupine form.

And that didn’t count the times the healers wanted to try something to help mitigate the wild wolf on a transformation. Wolfsbane worked well, but was expensive, so why not see if some cheaper alternative was available.

He still doubted that getting him drugged up on cannabis was a good idea, even if the wolf was rather mellow during the transformation. The hunger after he transformed back was something fierce. Better than the time they used LSD on him. He never knew what colors tasted like, and the fact that some of the sounds had flavors was new as well, and he was a _Marauder_. Synesthesia was something that had happened when some of James’ potions-- he was trying to impress Lily-- blew up on them, but that was definitely an experience. Then there was the time they used peyote on him, though the conversation with the wolf was rather interesting.

Yanks, they were a crazy lot.

He was brought out of his musings as he realized he was now in front of the Director’s office. Giving the door a polite knock, he then waited.

“Enter,” came the reply.

He opened the door and walked in, seeing Eden Blake, the Director of Aladdin sitting at her desk. He also noted Luke Kaz, her husband and a good operative from what he knew, off to the side, as well as Garrett Richards, the man who was responsible for the supervision of the contractors in the office as well.

“You called for me, Director?” He asked.

“Ah, Mister Lupin,” Eden said. “Please, take a seat.”

Remus took the available chair in front of her desk as he looked at the rather severe and aristocratic looking woman in front of him. He had heard that she often relaxed when off the job, but given that he hadn’t seen her when off the job, he would have to take the word of others for it.

“I am sure that you’re curious as to why you’re here,” the woman said. “First, I want to reassure you that this is not a disciplinary matter. Your work with us, as well as the patience and forbearance you’ve shown with some of the more experimentally inclined members of Aladdin, has been exemplary. So I will be brief. We have received word that several members of your Ministry want to force tutors of their choice on one Harry Potter. This would normally be a matter that we wouldn’t bother with, but my son, August, brought to light that the Ministry, or elements of if at least, is held in a less than high regard by Mister Potter.”

“Smart of him,” Luke said. “And he would be right to be suspicious of the government sending some “help”.

“And what does that make us?” Garrett asked sardonically. “We work for the government, after all.”

“Exactly.”

Remus blinked. “Given that he’s been in Sword Art Online for two years, I can see why getting him tutors for him would be advised,” he said. “He does have some work to do in order to catch up with his magical studies.”

“As the Director said, normally we wouldn’t bother with this,” Garrett said. “But we got a list of who is being chosen to be young Mister Potter’s tutors.” He handed over some parchment to Remus.

Taking the parchment, Remus perused it and scowled. He knew of several of the ones on it and didn’t think much of them. Oh, they knew their stuff, but were also political animals who had _ideas_ how youths should be. That being quiet and pliant. Not as saccharine as Umbridge, and didn’t _her_ downfall give him some good things to drink to? But they were all wankers. The whole lot of them. A few were adequate, but he doubted that they were the right kinds of tutors for Harry.

“Are they trying to annoy him?” Remus asked.

"About half are," Eden decided after a moment's thought. "Some to see how he reacts, others for petty revenge. I've no doubt some think they can actually turn him to the 'Dark', maybe even the next Dark Lord to puppeteer. And for some, they're just using this as a means to their own ends."

“The ones who might want to turn him into a Dark Lord aren’t realizing that if they succeeded, that their own heads would be the first on the chopping block,” Luke said. “That kid didn’t survive SAO and play a key role in freeing everyone there by being stupid.”

"From what August has related, yes," Eden noted.

"And he has been, to a degree, mentored by Albus Dumbledore."

"Not just Dumbledore," Luke pointed out. "Not only was one of the greatest duelists alive his Charms teacher, Mr. Potter was a member of an extracurricular club headed by Flitwick."

"Ah, the Book Club," Remus noted fondly. "Does more than it says on the tin, that one does. Plus, he's a Gryffindor."

"Ah, yes, what was that unofficial motto you mentioned?" Eden asked with a smirk. “'If you don't have a brass pair yet, we'll get you them?'” She grew composed again. "He's going to be the equal of what they throw at him, isn't he?"

"I couldn't say, I've not had a chance to meet him yet," Remus admitted. "I'm afraid I can't really advise—"

“We want to see if you’ll consent to be his tutor,” Eden interrupted. “And before you mention the contract, we are willing to terminate it for this with no prejudice.” She gave a thin smile. “Mister Potter has learned of this plan, my son has informed him of you, and he has expressed a desire to put a spoke into the wheels of whatever some have planned.”

“And you’ll get a nice recommendation from us as well,” Luke added. "Plus, I have a friend in the Ministry of Shugenja who loves giving the screws to Britain's current views on shifters."

"Idiotic," Garret grumbled.

Remus looked at the three Americans. "You know, I made a promise to two dear friends that I've been struggling to make good on..."

**March 7, 2025 - Alfheim, Foirgneamh**

Lisbeth checked her gear as she prepped to leave the Leprechaun’s home city. Mace? Check. Sturdy armor? Check. Buckler? Check. All of them in perfect repair? _Check._ The rest of the items, such as her anvil and the portable forge, not to mention a good collection of mats so she can set up shop as soon as she found an open spot to do so, were secondary to those first bits.

The habits she had in SAO carried over. You don’t leave a safe area without your gear, and it being in good shape.

It certainly also brought back fond memories of her time in SAO. Just without the risk of dying for real when things decided to go tits up, which wasn’t a loss in her book. Not that she liked dying here. The sheer terror she felt those few times she did die in ALO, not to mention the one time her heart rate spiked enough to force an automatic logout, could attest to that.

Not that they made going out and about in the real world much easier and she didn’t have the heightened situational awareness that those who were always out and about had to the same degree. She was a craftswoman first and a fighter second, after all. But even in its milder state, it still made things difficult.

The world had moved on without her, and she had moved on without it. The real world was odd in its uncanny familiarity to her. Things had changed, but even if they hadn’t, _she_ had. What was in fashion? Not all that important. What was important was the trade prices for mats and the shape of her own equipment so she could farm it if the market was running dry. The current popular songs? She had to make sure that her wares were of good enough quality to keep her customers alive.

Though she wouldn’t tell Ashley that fashion wasn’t important. The tailor had built his own successful business by creating fashion lines in SAO. She knew that he was a male, she knew him in real life, he was her cousin after all. Just as she knew that he loved having everyone speculate about his gender for his own amusement, the troll.

She needed to call him and see if he was going to try and duplicate his business in the real world. Actually, she had to ask him if he set shop up in ALO as well.

And it’s not like she wanted to be back in SAO anyway, for all that she did miss it in a way. It was a sentiment that was shared by every other survivor she talked to during her time in the hospital. They all did miss it, but they didn’t want to go back there.

“Hey Liz, you ready?” Came Rain’s voice.

Lisbeth looked over her shoulder and grinned at her fellow Leprechaun. “You bet, Rain,” she said. “Time to get to Arun and get you guys properly kitted out.” She took a step out of Foirgneamh’s boundaries and felt the change in her SA.

Rain laughed in response as she caught up. “You’ll still need to get the mats, or should I say, _we_ need to get the mats for you to work with,” she said. “We’ve been hitting various areas on the Arun plateau and into the Legrue Corridor and the Butterfly Valley to farm up mats and practice with some magic.”

“I would have thought you all would have gone down to Jotunheim,” Lisbeth said. “That place is the high level farming area for this game.”

Rain shrugged. “We’ll occasionally go into the caves leading to it, and we did make it to the initial area, but Asuna wants to have her healing magic higher before we chance really going in. We might have our SAO stats, but that place was designed to be difficult for raids. We want to be as prepared as we can for that, as well as ready to pay the price for when we wipe. It’s not going to be a case of if with just the eight of us.”

“Eight?” Lisbeth asked. “I thought it was only seven of you.”

“Yui is also joining in,” Rain said. “Since this game won’t kill us, the unspoken restrictions on children participating don’t apply.” She smirked. “Besides, she can make the trip from Uruna to Arun on her own and avoid every encounter on the way, or fight her way through every mob in between Uruna and Arun if she feels like it for that matter. Might take her longer than any of us to fight her way through, but she is damn good with her spear and illusion magic.”

Lisbeth nodded. It sounded like Yui went for a front line stealth and scouting build that was good for both solo and group work. She didn’t make the mistake of crippling herself through overspecialization in the process, at least. More than one mid-level player in SAO found themselves confined to the mid-levels for that reason.

Or worse, dead.

Not too dangerous when in a group, but there was a reason why front line players and Assault Team members tended to be more generalized in their approach. Oh, they were specialists, DPS, Tanks, Scouts and so on, but they had a larger spread of skills to allow them to adjust and adapt to the changing situations that came from the lack of prior information that being at the sharp edge of the blade entailed.

They all had one thing that they were very good at. Mostly DPS, but the Tanks were good at their jobs as well. But all of them had at least one other job they could do in a pinch or if they wanted to, mostly scouting.

“She learned that from you guys?” Lisbeth asked.

“She paid attention to when we were teaching Strea,” Rain said, smirking. “She’s a smart girl and began to put that into practice here since she and Strea got into ALO before we did. She does try to avoid PvP like the plague, and is already getting a title out of it.”

“Oh, what are they calling her?” Lisbeth asked eagerly. While titles in ALO didn’t have the same cachet they did in SAO, the fact that Yui was gaining one for her efforts in ALO was still worth notice.

"Well, it's actually two," Rain admitted, amusement tinting her voice. "Some people who want to make an insulting pun off her name call her 'Empty Yui'."

Lisbeth frowned. "I hope the other one's more flattering..."

"Yui The Fair," Rain informed her with a smirk. "Folks know she's got no stake in long standing feuds, so she'll be a fair judge if they'd rather not go to blows or have been ordered not to. Needless to say, the others prefer the latter as well."

Lisbeth nodded. She had met Yui a few times, usually when she visited Steel Phoenix in Selmburg. The ever curious girl always loved to talk with people, was a font of questions and able to reach logical conclusions from the answers. Her intelligence, especially with regard to what made people tick, all wrapped in the form of a little girl still who had the innocence of a child that couldn’t be older than eight or nine, was somewhat disconcerting at first.

_Not like any of us SAO Survivors could really talk about someone being disconcerting to others,_ she thought as she negligently pounded a mob that was trying to sneak up on her into the ground without breaking stride. She saw a flash and glanced to the side to see Rain behead another mob with a backhand strike of her own sword, her own walk not even pausing.

The ALO players were still trying to adjust to having people among them who essentially redefined hardcore. And you don’t get more hardcore than having to live and die by a game’s rules for over two years.

**Gaddan**

Klein watched as the Remain Light that had been the Salamander General faded and sheathed his sword. That had been one hell of a fight and he could see why the kid had some trouble against the man, even if he had been holding back a bit.

And he knew that the kid had been holding back. Maybe not consciously, but the context of PvP fights in ALO, with it being a major component of the game, as well as its definite lack of lethality, meant that he didn’t take it with the same deadly seriousness that he had against groups like Laughing Coffin.

He had been both respected and feared by many of the SAO players for a very good reason.

He looked around and saw the Salamander witnesses looking at him in shock, as if they couldn’t believe what they saw. Had the fight not ended as the way it had, they probably wouldn’t have, Eugene had been defeated in matches like this before by Salamanders who were less skilled after all.

Often by trying something novel in the fight, which sometimes worked. Once. And there were those times when someone simply got lucky, like that one time a newbie managed it. But for Klein to take the man down without taking a single hit...

“There is a difference between how we approach fights,” he said idly. “You haven’t had to develop the same mindset that those of us who went out of the safe zones in SAO have, for one thing.”

“And what would that mindset be?” He heard General Eugene ask as he came back to the sparring pit. It was close to where players respawned if they died after all.

“That if you’re in a fight for your life, you don’t hold back,” Klein said. “If the kid, that’s Hadrian to all of you, wasn’t operating with a handicap, that fight would have been over fast. You haven’t truly seen him when he was in a fight for his life. There is a reason why damn near everyone considered him to be the most dangerous one in Steel Phoenix.”

“I know he was deadly there,” Eugene said. “But he wasn’t the only one. His girl--”

“His wife,” Klein corrected. “I was at the wedding, and I know those two. Even though their marriage is likely not recognized in the real world, they won’t care and still think of themselves as married.” He looked at Eugene. “Anyway, when he fought you, he wasn’t fighting you with the deadly seriousness that he would have if this was SAO. And... that is a good thing.”

Eugene seemed ready to say something and then got a thoughtful expression on his face. “I see,” he said after a moment before walking off.

**March 11, 2025 - Alfheim, South Jotunheim Passage**

Lux sidestepped the mob’s, a giant spider this time, attack and countered, scoring a red line across its forelimbs. “Harry, switch!” She called as she darted back.

“ _Ek skýt tuttugu smár striða._ ” Harry chanted out quickly, hitting it with several green needles as she passed him. As soon as the last needle left his free hand, he picked his shield up and ran in. “ _Es_ _leið mitt blað, vatnshiti._ ” He called out as he moved, causing his sword’s blade to give off a blue glow.

“Looks like he’s starting to get it to work,” she heard Silica say.

“And how did his failures go?” Lux asked. “I haven’t heard any rumors of a Sylph blowing himself up with a spell gone wrong, after all.”

Silica snorted. “Nothing, that’s what happened,” she said. “ALO doesn’t punish experiments going badly the way SAO did. Well, not the same way, since he makes sure that he has the pronunciations right. He’s trying to use only ALO’s system, rather than the mix of the system and his other abilities like he did in SAO.”

Lux nodded, knowing what those other abilities were. It would make sense that he was trying to prioritize what ALO had in place. And not only for safety reasons. He had mentioned that if he could do that and it could be duplicated by someone else, he had managed the ALO equivalent of an Original Sword Skill.

Silica looked at her husband as he dodged the mob’s attack. “Hmm, that was...” She watched as he dodged again and nodded. “Yup, he’s using his SA. Looks like it didn’t have the effect of duplicating the Water Affinity of Mystic Blade.”

Lux looked back towards Harry and watched him fight. Silica’s observation was correct. Harry’s movements lacked the fluidity that the Water Affinity would give him. On the other hand… “His strikes are more precise,” she observed. “He’s hitting exactly where he intends to without deviation. I’ve only seen Asuna consistently manage that.”

They watched as he finished off the mob, a mob that was considered tough enough to require an entire party to take down. For an ALO player, that would be true. For someone who survived SAO and had made it to at least the upper tiers of the mid-level players, it would have been a tough, but soloable mob. Not that most of them would have been crazy enough to try soloing it.

For an Assault Team member? This would have been Wednesday on the top floor of Aincrad. _It really says something that we have a whole different definition for insane than the rest of the SAO players,_ Lux mused as Harry finished off the mob and made his way back to them.

“So… it didn’t work as expected?” Lux asked.

“It worked along the lines of what the Words of Power meant,” Harry said. “They said for my sword to be guided, so it was guided, boosting my precision. The spell worked, even if it wasn’t how I wanted it to, but we have something that can be useful. Especially if we fight something, like a heavily armored enemy that has a small weak point that requires precise strikes to do any real damage to it.”

“Or if we find a weak point and need to target it to burn the mob down,” Silica said. “Or simply don’t want to waste time fighting it. Any idea on how to cast it on someone else?”

“I’d use _‘_ _þú_ ’ or ‘ _oss_ ’ for a single player or the entire group, but I will have to look at if changing any of the other words is required,” Harry replied. “Anyway, let’s head back to Arun. Strea and Asuna are probably back from that brawl in the Valley of Dragons, while Yui is probably done coaching Kirito on Illusion magic for right now.”

“That reminds me, are we still on for that attempt at doing the Grand Quest next week?” Silica asked. “I know that it’s unbeatable until they make the 5.0 Update live, but when has something being called impossible stopped us?”

Lux nodded. Silica had a point there. If anything, they would try it simply to see what they’re in for when it becomes beatable, not to mention really putting the quest through its paces.

Besides, calling it unbeatable would just make them take it as a challenge. And for them, there was only one response.

Challenge accepted.


	16. Aiming Ever Onward

**March 14, 2025 - Kawagoe, Kirigaya Residence**

_FM: ALO Administration-- Debugging Team_

_TO: Kirito_

_Subj: Glitched Quest Area_

_Mr. Kirigaya,_

_Thank you for telling us immediately how you and your compatriots glitched from the incomplete quest area into the unused PVP arena. The programmer who was told to delete it will be questioned, and given the effects on your friends Strea and Yui, will have to have some very good answers to avoid any stringent disciplinary actions._

_You were the fourth report of such a glitch, but the only one who could tell us how to duplicate it-- the logs from the AmuSpheres are detailed to the point where it may have taken us months to eliminate this glitch. We shall be able to re-open the quest path today, rather than weeks from now._

_Please accept this three month subscription credit as our thanks, extended to your friends as well._

_Puck_

Kazuto read the message over and nodded to himself. They had all decided to do the quest in Jotunheim, despite it being incomplete. It was a good way for them to get back into top form, had good, if somewhat rare, drops. Then the glitch happened, forcing them into that arena. None of them had reacted well to the glitch. For him and the other humans, it was unpleasant thanks to the fact that all of them had a more sensitive SA than the average player by even SAO’s standards. For Strea and Yui, however, it was orders of magnitude worse.

Strea and Yui were in a unique position as AIs. The virtual world was the only world they had experience with, and they were structured accordingly. As much as a glitched area could cause very unpleasant reactions in human players... well, the second Yui had likened it to radiation poisoning, Asuna had gone full on Phoenix Field General before the next 'wave' of the looping glitch hit.

As it was, Strea had to isolate herself to stop part of her own code from emulating the glitch. The fact she'd trusted him to go over her code was both touching and nerve wracking. Yui had been less affected-- meaning her self-monitoring logs had only spat up the AI equivalent of vomit for a few hours. Either the older, if younger seeming, AI was more robust, or Strea, the younger of the pair was simply more tied to the game environment than Yui was. It didn’t change the fact that the two of them had been taken out of the equation until they all had managed to get out of that glitched area, Rain and Lux physically carrying carrying Strea while Asuna had carried Yui. Harry, Silica and Kazuto himself had brought up the flanks and rear as they worked their way out of the area.

Kazuto pursed his lips. There had to be a way to give their two data-form friends another safe space. VR chats were niche, after all-- Gibson and Sterling aside, a simulated interface actually made a lot of tasks more cumbersome than keyboard and mouse. The AmuSphere's main uses were gaming, training, and, occasionally, distance meeting.

Shame the two AIs couldn't just log out like the rest of them---

Kazuto blinked, opened a text file, and jotted down _bring Yui and Strea here...?_

He frowned thoughtfully at the statement, now typed out and solid, and let his mind churn.

**March 16, 2025 - Portkey Terminal, Narita International Airport**

Remus grunted as the international portkey finished transporting him to Japan, for once thankful for his werewolf constitution. Had he been a normal wizard, he would have felt as if an enthusiastic beater had mistaken him for a bludger and decided to have a go or two at him, rather than simply disoriented.

Not that the wolf that was always in the background of his psyche was appreciative of it. Werewolves _hated_ travelling by portkey due to how it played merry hell with their instincts. Even for one who has done it for years still found even short trips disconcerting, and he just covered almost ten thousand miles with over a dozen portkey hops.

No, the wolf was _not_ pleased.

“Moony, over here!” He heard a familiar voice call just as he picked up that familiar scent. _Two_ familiar scents actually. Turning, he saw Sirius waiting near the officials who were probably the customs personnel that he would have to unshrink his luggage for them to inspect before he was allowed to leave the terminal. To his surprise, Sirius wasn’t alone. He could see a young man right next to him with him that he hadn’t seen since he watched the recordings that had been sent to Hogwarts.

_Harry,_ Remus thought. Then the others would be the Shibas, though the Caucasian Man with them was unexpected.

“Moony, really?” Harry asked Sirius. “That makes him sound like some guy who has his arse hanging out or that a six year old would came up with it. You can’t be serious.”

_You shouldn’t have said that_ , Remus thought with some amusement.

“But Harry, I’m always Sirius,” Came the reply.

Harry winced. "Walked into it," he said with a sigh.

“Which of you two is the adult again?” The other Caucasian asked, his American West Coast with elements of a Mid-Atlantic accent clearly apparent.

“We’re still trying to figure that out, Gus,” came Harry’s response. Ah, so director Blake's son, August. “But let’s allow Mister Lupin to get through Customs first, which shouldn’t take too long.” He looked at Remus with an outstretched hand and met his eyes, startling the man. "Harry Potter."

"Remus Lupin," Remus answered, taking the offered hand. "Remus, if you're comfortable with it."

The younger man's handshake held firmness, but none of the posturing bullshit from squeezing too hard. Then again, from what he had seen from the footage of Sword Art Online while he had been a professor at Hogwarts and from what he later heard afterwards, it wasn’t like Harry would see a need for it. He had nothing to prove, so why bother.

Remus knew that Harry had a resemblance to James at a similar age, even the fact that he was recovering from being trapped in that… virtual world? Yes, that virtual world. Even after two years there, with his body slowly degrading until it reached a new equilibrium that the muggle healers could sustain, that resemblance was still there. Especially now that he had several months to be well along the way to recovery, making him look a lot less like he survived a famine. His eyes were the same color as Lily’s as well. But no one who knew either of the two would mistake Harry for either of them.

His bearing was that more reminiscent of a veteran Auror, or one of the veteran Aladdin agents he had worked for over the last several months. Always alert and aware of his surroundings, even when there were no threats around. But those eyes...

Harry’s eyes had a hard edge to them that reminded Remus more of the young man’s maternal grandfather. Harder in some ways, as though the jagged edges hadn’t been sanded down by years of relative peace.

Even so, there wasn’t the same air about him that Alastor “Mad Eye” Moody had. Moody was notorious for his paranoia, however justified it may be. In Harry? It was thankfully not there.

But those eyes missed nothing. There were scars on the young man’s soul that were reflected there and would never go away. They would fade in time, but they would always be there.

Remus shelved the thoughts going through his head as he made his way to the Customs desk and took his belongings out. For once, they were in good shape. Not new, but the type of good second-hand stuff that was easily within his means to purchase and leave himself plenty of funds left over.

**Nerima, Ucchan’s**

Sirius watched as Remus politely talked with the waitress, the actually _male_ waitress, and gave his order. He had no doubt that his old friend wasn’t fooled for a second. A werewolf’s senses like smell and hearing were somewhat sharper than a regular human being’s, after all.

As long as there weren’t absolutely cloying amounts of perfume on him, Moony would be able to tell that the “waitress”, Taisuke if he recalled, was actually male despite how well he could pass as the opposite gender. Hell, the entire family could do, and often did, just that. And he knew that Remus would politely address him as a female.

He was courteous like that. Well, when he wasn’t taking the piss out of someone at least. Or when he was, especially when it would be funny to everyone if he did so. Like that one time Lily dragged James into drag and did a _very_ convincing job of making him look like a girl in retaliation for a prank.

Good times.

“Well, he does a good job,” Remus said as the waitress walked away. “If it wasn’t for the scent, I would have been fooled. Her English was quite good as well.”

Sirius saw Harry look disappointed for a moment before his godson shook it off. “Scent?” He asked.

Remus nodded. “Males and females smell differently,” he replied. “All people do, but there are scents that differentiate between genders.”

The proprietress, Ukyo he recalled, laughed from where she was at the grill. “And I can tell that you’re something different from my normal patrons,” she said in passable, if accented, English. “Not a Youkai, if a bit similar.” She shrugged. “Not that it matters. You’re a customer and as long as you don’t start any trouble that’s good enough for me.”

Remus looked up. "I see the briefing packet I was supplied with is correct," he said.

Ukyo shrugged. “We take the whole secrecy thing and see how far we can push it before the Ministry of Shugenja sends us a strongly worded letter,” she said with a snort. “There isn’t much else they can do, given that Ranma scares them enough to soil their kimono at the thought of being in the same room as him.”

“The Shibas don’t seem to be afraid of him,” Harry said.

“The Shibas aren’t afraid to mix it up with him,” Ukyo said. “They won’t win a direct fight, but they have scrapped with him in the past. It doesn’t hurt that they’re also demon hunters, so they’re used to having to fight beings that are stronger than they are. Honestly, I think they simply like his direct nature, even if the decades have softened that down and he’s actually polite when he needs or decides to be.”

“And the fact that Lady Shiba seems to love threatening to dump him into Tokyo Bay to get him to behave or when he needs to cool off,” Harry snarked.

“He’s not the only one who’s gotten that threat, sugar,” Ukyo said. “Just about the entire old Wrecking Crew has gotten it, or had it carried out on them. Ranma’s gotten very familiar with the bay and the best routes to swim back. He can force himself through almost anything, if it’s framed as training."

“Considering the stories I heard about him, as well as what was in the briefing packet, that is not reassuring if that was your intention,” Remus said.

“Oh, was I supposed to reassure you?” Ukyo asked. “Oops.” The clearly fake innocence in her smile made Remus snort.

Harry barked a laugh. “Don’t worry too much, Mister Lupin, I mean, Remus,” Harry said. “I met him, he’s pretty cool. His sons, on the other hand, think they’re funny.”

“Got you with the Instant Jusenkyo again?” Ukyo asked.

Harry nodded. “It was slightly amusing the first couple of times but now it’s starting to get annoying,” he said pulling his phone out and fiddling with it. “Here you go.” He pulled something up and showed it to Ukyo, who laughed.

Remus gave Harry a curious look and was surprised when he was shown what was clearly a snapshot picture taken. "You ended up in drag within the Illusory World of Aincrad as well, did you not?" Remus then prompted as if he remembered something.

“Yes, I did,” Harry said as he again fiddled with his phone. “The girls decided to have some fun at mine and Kirito’s expense while they were shopping for some clothes for Christmas. They picked the outfits and got Ashley, the best tailor in SAO, to dress us up. Did a good job, too. And when someone made a comment on going out like that…” He grinned. “Well, Silica and Asuna weren’t properly outfitted to be our escorts, and Rain and Lux needed proper wear to be chaperones. We got Silica and Asuna outfitted properly and, well, take a look.” He held the phone to Remus with the screen facing him.

Remus looked at it and barked a laugh. Sirius looked over and nodded, he remembered that picture. There was Harry and Kirito, dressed in rather poufy dresses, with makeup and longer styled hair. Harry was clearly taking it in good humor, while Kirito looked rather pouty about the entire thing. But the girls, Asuna and Silica? They were dressed like young men, with form fitting clothes, coats, shirts and pants. All of which left nothing to the imagination.

Harry certainly handled it better than James would have, if he had turned the prank around on the girls that way. Rather than try and foil it, he went and ran with it. If the boys were going to be dressed in drag, then their girlfriends should be dressing the part as well. But there were two missing from the picture.

“What about the other two?” He asked. “Rain and... Lux, if I remember correctly? I never saw the footage of when you met them, let alone after it since I finished my teaching contract with Hogwarts before then.”

“They managed to avoid getting dressed as proper governesses to chaperone us,” Harry replied with a shrug. “Not that Rain would have remained still long enough for that to happen with how hard she was laughing. Anyway, after Kirito and I got back into our regular clothing and armor, we decided to do the manly and brave thing and retreated to the nearest tavern to maintain what was left of our nonexistent dignity.”

“In other words, drown their sorrows,” Sirius interjected.

“Quite,” Harry agreed with a nod. “But it’s moments like that which show that Aincrad wasn’t all doing the stereotypical Gryffindor thing and going out, facing danger, and slaying monsters. There were times where we had fun or did things that were worth a laugh. Moments that helped keep us sane. Relatively speaking, of course.”

Remus nodded and Sirius knew that his friend was aware of what was not being said there. Regardless of how well they had a pretense of normality in how they acted, they had to develop coping mechanisms to deal with what Aincrad was doing to them. Coping mechanisms which were still there, months after the need for them had passed.

Of all the Marauders, Remus knew coping mechanisms.

Sirius turned his attention to the entry as the door opened and jangled the bell that signified someone coming in. He didn’t even have to glance out of the corner of his eye to know that Harry’s posture, always slightly guarded, had lightened up as he saw Keiko enter, accompanied by her mother, Sumire.

Looks like Remus would get to meet his godson’s other half sooner than expected. Sirius wondered when Harry had sent her a message, or if it was simply his awareness of where she was when she got near. A similar awareness, he knew, that she had as well.

_If this keeps up, we’re going to have to revise our predictions of some things,_ Sirius thought. He doubted that they would be careless, but unexpected things did happen.

“Predictions of things?” Harry asked him. “If they’re predictions on _when_ Keiko and I will make our marriage legally sound, we’re still planning on waiting until we finish High School, though the idea of us running off to England when we turn eighteen and eloping has some merit.” He looked at Sumire. “Not that we wouldn’t invite you or your husband, ma’am.” He said in Japanese.

“I… was thinking aloud, wasn’t I?” Sirius asked.

Harry shrugged. “At least you all haven’t been taking bets on whether she and I have been using ALO as a way to get around the reasonable restrictions you all gave us when we… you have, haven’t you?”

“Can you really blame us?” Sumire asked in English. “The two of you have continued to refuse to confirm or deny certain things and you both are teenagers.”

“That’s… a fair point, Mrs. Ayano,” Harry acknowledged. “But do you honestly expect any different from us? We refused to do that in SAO for good reason. If we denied it, we wouldn’t be believed. If we confirmed it, everyone would have said ‘I knew it.’ We just continued that habit.”

Sumire nodded. “Fair enough,” she said before grinning. “I made the assumption that you two at least waited until marriage in SAO anyway. The tone of some of your comments, even when in private but without you in a state that gave you privacy from the hard line feeds, indicated enough. Just don’t do what you joked was planned for your anniversary.”

Neither Harry, nor Keiko blushed or rose to the bait. Sirius knew what Sumire was mentioning. They would comment on doing something salacious when someone told them off for their commentary by hinting that they should get a room and not get started right then and there was going to be saved for their anniversary. And the times when they both came up with more extreme and lewd acts to list off that they would do in public were always worth a laugh, if only to see the looks others were giving them, as if they couldn’t tell if the two were being serious or not.

“Don’t worry, mom,” Keiko said. “We’re not going to do any of that next month. Next year or in a few years though… well, not with an audience.”

Sumire sighed and face palmed. “SAO was a bad influence on you.” She said. “Both of you.”

Harry and Keiko both smirked. “We know,” Both said.

“We’d blame Klein,” Harry began.

“But he’s not here to defend himself and protest that he had nothing to do with it,” Keiko finished.

“Not Argo?” Sirius asked.

Harry and Silica shot him a look. “And set us up for her to retaliate?” Harry asked.

“Given her name, I’m sure she’s a kitsune,” Keiko said. “And we’re not stupid enough to bait her like that anyway.”

Sirius chuckled and looked at Remus, who was watching the exchange with a small smile.

**March 18, 2025 - Alfheim, Arun**

Harry looked at the door flanked by two statues. It was all large, grandiose and bombastic in a way. They had all gathered here and were waiting to see if any of the SAO Survivors who were online were willing to show up. Granted, moist of them were probably not anywhere near Arun, but they wanted to put the word out.

“Do you think the devs were compensating for something?” Silica asked.

“It’s not our problem that they need a boost to their egos,” he said.

"Or take queues from Ende," Yui noted.

Harry thought a moment, then shook his head. "I think it's more likely a case of _The Neverending Story_ and ALO's devs both picking up on the simple fact that anything with pattern recognition will find a basic matched pair appealing because they do."

"Ende?" Kirito prompted.

"Michael Ende, German writer," Harry said. "He shared my special education track, and his book, _The Neverending Story_ was my English Teacher's favorite."

Kirito nodded. The term was as good a shorthand to reference his friend’s magical education as any.

“I asked Kou what he knew about the quest,” Asuna said and then shook her head irritably. “He only said that there was plenty already out there and it was best for us to experience it ourselves.”

“It’s not like we expected him to divulge anything,” Rain noted. “I’m surprised that Liz isn’t coming. We know that she’s here in Arun and she was there when we put the word out.”

“I don’t know why you’re surprised,” Lux said in response. “She’s a Middy, Even with us here, she won’t take something on that is a virtually guaranteed wipe. Just because dying in game won‘t kill us unless one of us has a heart attack in the process doesn’t mean much given how we reacted the first few times when we got killed here. And dying in that glitched quest?” She shuddered.

They all grimaced at that. None of them had reacted well the first few times, though seeing the countdown to a respawn helped them calm themselves a bit. Well, outside of Lux’s dying once in the glitched area a few days ago. That had been too reminiscent of what they saw in SAO when someone died. No Remain Light, no body, nothing. Lux had admitted that she didn’t even see the countdown timer for when she would respawn in Arun. Only the words: You Are Dead. Asuna had cast the basic revival spell she knew out of desperation.

They were all relieved that it worked.

Harry recalled his own first reactions, including the warnings in his HUD about his heart rate spiking dangerously and almost having a forced logout. Knowing that dying in game wouldn’t kill you didn’t make the fear that he had lived with for two years any less. Experiencing the fact only helped a bit.

They weren't going to tackle that particular Jotunheim quest again for a while, if ever, but the incomplete Grand Quest just might be enough to occupy them for now. Besides, the complete version would be made live next week anyway.

Just because they didn’t expect to complete the quest and anticipated a party wipe (or at least a partial wipe, quest write off, and need to retreat), they wanted to see for themselves just how difficult it would be. Besides, groups had long since decided to take seeing how long they could survive and who could get the farthest, survive the longest with the fewest, or both.

The current records were two-thirds of the way to the cloud layer and forty minutes with only ten players, both set by a group comprised of players from several races called the Sleeping Knights.

If no one else showed up, Harry and the others would see if they could top that. The question of why they were going to do so wasn’t why. It was “Why not?” It would be a challenge and none of them had survived SAO’s challenges without having a simple response to Kayaba’s own challenge.

They would accept that challenge.

**Yggdrasil, Path of Eternity**

“Harry, you have a group coming from your left and below!” Asuna called out as she sent a storm of ice crystals at another group. "Silica, reinforce Lux and keep Pina close, have her use her healing breath to keep your health topped off and kite them to Strea when they aggro you! Yui, Kirito, send a smokescreen--"

"Asuna, behind!" Kirito barked.

Even as she twisted and dodged the thrown sword that would have impaled her, Asuna was already whipping her rapier out and parrying another strike from one of the guardians that had come into her blind spot.

They had been here for thirty minutes and had climbed over a kilometer. Mostly due to their simply rushing up and killing only those guardians that had gotten in their way, rather than stopping to engage them all as they spawned. It seemed a valid strategy-- the guardians had either a very narrow aggro range, or their AI was balanced to equal the skill and tactics of the party attacking. Maybe even playstyle-- some players, bluntly, wanted to kill them all. Some wanted to beat a quest with the most elegant plan.

That had worked for the first three hundred meters. Then the mob AI started to start using swarm tactics. Not all of them at once, thankfully, but the numbers were slowly climbing, forcing them to slow down.

And that was when she found out that the mobs had a different targeting algorithm. The moment she cast a wide area healing spell, _all_ the mobs within twenty meters of her started coming after her exclusively. It didn’t matter if someone else had aggro on them, they went after her.

Kill the healer as soon as one reveals him or herself. A basic player tactic, given to the AI and adding to the difficulty of the fight due to being a tactic that veteran ALO players wouldn’t expect from mobs. Those that couldn’t adapt to it quickly probably wiped in short order as their healers were taken out.

Most ALO players were of the mind that healers were expected to keep everyone alive, they weren’t expected to fight for their lives. It was so entrenched in online gaming that most gamers accepted it as a truism.

Asuna wasn’t most gamers. Anything that came after her would find her blade waiting for them.

She had killed half of them when Harry healed her, grabbing their attention, showing the weakness of that otherwise effective aggro script.

"Strea!” Silica called. “Kiting them to you! Hit them with an Avalanche. Harry, Switch in five!”

The mob type was just as vulnerable to the Switch mechanic as anything else. It felt almost cheap, but it was a "store blurb" feature. Of course it was highlighted.

And they would take advantage of that mercilessly.

"Asuna!" Silica called. "If we time our heals at the same time..."

“...It should confuse the targeting algorithm,” Asuna finished.

“ _Þú fylla heill austr._ ” Harry chanted quickly after five seconds, sending the healing magic to Silica and drawing aggro right as Strea hit them with the physical attack that was a copy of the Sword Skill she had regularly used against groups in SAO. Lack of Sword Skills in ALO didn’t mean anything when the wielder mastered doing the motions without the activation movements or positions.

The fact that it was less damaging didn’t matter when the mobs were individually weak.

Five hundred meters to go until they reached the clouds and who knew how much further from there.

##

The reversal of gravity when they breached the clouds almost caused them to crash into what was supposed to be the top of the area. And with all the guardians now targeting them, that would have resulted in a wipe.

Which would have been embarrassing, to say the least.

“Yui, Strea, check that hatch, door, whatever it is!” Harry shouted. “Rain, get with Silica and Lux and guard Asuna! Kirito, smokescreen now!”

Rain shouted her acknowledgment of the order and moved to guard Asuna, reaching her just as Kirito’s smokescreen blanketed the area, virtually blinding her. But that was the point of it. Just as they couldn’t see the mobs, the mobs couldn’t see them.

The mobs can’t see them, and wouldn’t target them until it dissipated enough. It would buy them enough time to also break the time record with the fewest players.

And then, they would probably all go out in a blaze of glory.

Yeah, they would wipe. But they had done something no other group had. They had reached the top.

They did it. And when the quest became beatable next week, they would hit it and clear it.

Rain chuckled and almost laughed when she felt a grip and tight squeeze on her shoulder.

“Not now, Rain,” she heard Asuna say quietly. “Strea, Yui, find anything out?”

They heard an impact. “It won’t open,” Strea said in frustration.

“As expected,” Yui said. “But I did learn a few things.”

“Good,” Asuna said. There was the sound of a chime. “And that’s forty-five minutes. Kirito, how long until the smokescreen dissipates?”

“It will thin out enough for the closer mobs to target us in fifteen seconds,” Kirito replied.

“Got a plan, Harry?” Silica asked.

“Only one, dear,” Harry replied. “ _Oss kveikja blaðum okkar, voldugu Surtr._ ” He chanted out. Rain saw her sword begin to glow, meaning that the smokescreen was already thinning out. “Rush to the bottom and take as many of these things out as we can. In other words, make a break for the entrance, or die trying while killing any of these mobs that get in our way.”

“And with that spell you used…” Lux started.

“Kill them with fire?” Asuna finished.

“Kill them with fire.” Harry replied.

“Looks like toasted mob is on the menu,” Silica said, to which Pina chirped cheerfully. “No Pina, you can’t eat them. Remember what happened the last time you ate a roasted mob?”

Pina’s contrite chirp made Rain grin. In all the time she had known the feathered dragon in SAO, it always seemed as if the tamed monster was more than a simple program. Not an AI like Yui and Strea, but at least somewhat self-aware.

It would explain how she figured out how to do puppy dog eyes to get treats from everyone, or steal food off their plates if they were distracted.

Any further musing was cut off as the mobs began to approach and they all took wing themselves.

It was five minutes before Strea was taken out as she pushed Yui out of the way of an attack. The rest of them began to follow shortly after. After ten minutes, the last of them fell and the group officially wiped.

The eight of them had lasted just shy of an hour and had made it to the top without losing anyone.

**Arun**

"How?!" another player screeched, looking at the paper in her hand.

"That's... 35, sweetie?" Agil asked.

"That we've seen," His wife, going by the oh so unoriginal name of Kat in ALO, answered with a snicker. "Is this what you were talking about, with Sirius' boy?"

Agil chuckled and shook his head. “Not just him,” he said. “All of them. That they pulled this off isn’t all that surprising to me. I’ve fought alongside them a few times. Don’t get me wrong, what they did is impressive. But it’s not all that surprising to me.” He looked at the various players who were chatting, many holding the notice that came out just a few minutes ago. “The only thing that surprises me is that they wiped. If even they couldn’t beat the quest, I would think that they would have bugged out and gone over what they learned. That’s what they would have done in SAO, after all.”

“But this isn’t SAO,” Kat countered.

“I know that, sweetie,” Agil replied. “But they would have kept the habits. Now, I don’t think they let themselves wipe, but they accepted that they probably would. Especially since they decided to continue on, rather call it a wash and bug out. And look at the result!”

“Oh?”

Agil grinned. “They know the records for those who do this for the hell of it. It’s a good way for groups to measure their ability, after all. They wanted to see what the quest had and to raise the bar, so to speak. I mean, look at the results. Make no mistake. If the quest was beatable, they would have beaten it.” He gave his wife a wry look. “That, and if they had somehow managed to do the impossible and beat it as it currently is, well… that’s Steel Phoenix for you. By the end, more thought that getting out of SAO was impossible than those who still believed it was possible. And don’t get me started on the incident with the dragon!”

“In my and Kirito’s defense, it was Klein’s idea and we were drunk when that happened,” came a dry response from behind.

Agil turned and looked at the group of eight players who were walking toward him and his wife. He could see other players noticing them and turning their attention in their direction, but if the eight of them even noticed, they didn’t show it.

Agil wondered how they would handle this as he noticed several players began to converge on them. _Oh hell,_ he thought. “I’ll get to you guys later,” he said as he gently grabbed his wife’s arm and began to lead her away. He could already hear the questions flying. Some were polite, some were rude, some were thinly veiled demands, and some were the type of demands which always irritated them.

He gave it five minutes before Asuna let the Mystic Knight and the Blood Rain slip their leash and give their eloquent opinions on the entire thing in their preferred way.

He started dragging Kat with him with more urgency when he heard a particularly crass demand. Make that less than a minute, more like ten seconds if he was gauging things correctly.

_And there it is,_ he thought as he heard the commotion suddenly become silent.

##

Asuna stiffened at the comment that had just been made. _He didn’t just say that,_ she thought just as she felt a hand on her shoulder.

“Asuna, _I’ll handle this_ ,” Harry quietly said as he stepped forward.

“I’m sorry, I don’t think I heard you correctly,” Harry then said in a tone of voice that alerted Asuna to just how angry he was. Though the sudden chill in the air also had something to do with it. “I could have sworn you said something along the lines of asking one of us to hang you by those shriveled raisins you call your testicles from one of this city’s statues, but I want to make sure. I’m not a native speaker of Japanese, so it could have just been a request for one of us to forcibly sodomize you with those statues for everyone to see for all I know.” He gave the player, a Sylph, who had implied that they had gotten as far as they had due to hacking, sleeping with the devs, pimping the girls out, among other things, a cold look.

“What?” Was the eloquent reply as the red-faced Sylph suddenly paled as he found himself facing Harry’s undivided attention.

“You have the gall to imply that we had to resort to something as pathetic as hacking?” Harry asked. “Or perhaps it was sleeping with the devs? Or pimping Yui, Strea or any one of the other fine ladies of this group out.” Asuna could feel the fury being released at that last sentence. The _other players could_ , given how quickly they backed away. “To all of what you have said, no, no, aaaand _fuck no_.” Asuna heard someone in the crowd snort before being quelled by the almost serenely calm glare Harry gave the crowd.

“I think he’s mad, don’t you?” She heard Strea ask.

“Strea, you have _no_ idea,” Silica said drily.

Asuna watched as he turned his gaze to the two of them. “Ladies, please,” he said with the same serene calm that he had glared a crowd down with. Asuna tensed as every instinct she had warned her just how fine a razor’s edge he was walking right now. This wasn’t the conventional, if cold, anger he had sometimes demonstrated in SAO. This was the tranquil fury that she had rarely seen the barest hints of. The fury that, for all that it seemed calm and controlled, hid a tempest of potential violence waiting to be unleashed with the force of an Arctic Storm.

A cold and deadly fury that even he feared and kept tightly leashed whenever it stirred.

He then turned his attention back to the Sylph who was trying to slowly back away without seeming to. The target of his gaze froze completely. “Don’t try to leave now. You started this, thinking you’re more a man than you are. You want to act like one? Then stay put and take your dressing down like one, little boy.” Asuna relaxed as she could feel the fury Harry was emanating begin to subside. “Now, where was I? Oh, right, I was about to mention how we have standards. Unlike you, you little open and floppy cunt that spreads itself for any advantage it could get. What are those standards, you ask? Why, they are the kind of thing that anyone could make a movie out of. To see a challenge, take it, cuddle it, make it our special friend, sacrifice it to some heathen god and then proceed to _eat that god’s still beating heart_ while it watches _._ ”

“In other words, a typical Monday for us back up to a few months ago,” Silica chimed in.

“Indeed dear, indeed,” Harry said without turning his attention from the Sylph. Asuna wasn’t quite sure, but she could swear that he was beginning to soil himself in game. Knowing how intense Harry could be when his ire was aroused, Asuna suspected that said player actually had in the real world.

“You act like we should tell some entitled little twat like yourself our tricks. No, you’re not a twat. A twat can have some value and use.”

The Sylph seemed to rally for a moment. “J-just who do you think you are?” He asked before Harry’s look quieted him again.

“It seems that I was remiss in something,” Harry said. “No matter, it is easily corrected. Allow me to introduce myself. I am known as Hadrian here, and unless you were too busy trying to impress your alcoholic father, you might have heard of me. I also went by appellations such as Young Knight, Mystic Knight, Red Killer, and other titles, honors and dishonors that were rightfully given and received in a world of swords. A place called Aincrad. You know, that nice little fun land where I and the rest of my group were among ten thousand others for two years?”

The Sylph’s eyes widened.

“Ah, I see you have,” Harry said. “That makes things easier. I won’t bore everyone here with all the details, but you want to know how we did it? _Fuck you_ , that’s how we did it.” He turned away from the Sylph and walked back to a grinning Silica.

Rain stepped forward. “And I would appreciate you coming with me to the arena, or even a sparring circle, so I can slap you up one side of it and down the other with your own arm,” she said.

“Hey, that’s my thing!” Lux protested. “Find a different body part to do it with.”

“It’s not like I could beat him to death with his own dick,” Rain said drily. “It’s probably so small that it would be more my fist, when I was younger than Yui, than anything else.” She sighed as Lux gave her a look. “Fine, fine. I guess I can just have him kick his own ass with his foot just as well. That I’m swinging the leg it’s attached to won’t change that.”

“Not going to try and shove his head up his own ass?” Strea asked.

“A waste of effort, it’s already there,” Yui said. “Now using his leg as a pry bar to pull it out, however, is possible.”

Asuna turned to the two AIs, an eyebrow raised.

"You're such bad influences on us," Yui said solemnly. "Aren't they just, sis?"

"The worst," Strea affirmed. "If dear old Dad was still alive..."

"He'd take notes on our development," Yui decided.

"...yeah," Strea sighed.

Asuna really couldn’t say anything about that. They had all influenced the pair and it sounded like something Kayaba would have done.


	17. The Ascending Phoenix

Mystic Knight Online: All the World’s Made Strange

Chapter 17: The Ascending Phoenix

**March 18, 2025 - RECT HQ - Alfheim Online Department**

Shiro Kunikida watched the footage gained from the Path of Eternity again and looked at the team lead who had brought it to his attention. He would admit, it was impressive that eight players had managed to effectively clear the area, even if they couldn’t leave it from any direction save for the one they had entered it or wiped, whichever came first.

“So a group managed to get to the end point of the Path of Eternity,” he said. “I still don’t see what the concern is.”

“Sir, what they did should have been impossible with so few,” the team lead, Tetsuhiro Shirakaze, said. “Granted, the previous group to come closest managed to get two-thirds of the way there with only ten, but the circumstances for all of them are rather unique.”

“You mean the group that’s called the Sleeping Knights,” Shiro said. “The ones who are terminally ill and spend more time in a virtual environment than in the real world, save for that one girl who is always online due to her also being the tester for the Medicuboid.” He looked at the player IDs for of those who were in the footage and nodded. He knew who they were. “That they did so well is impressive, but this group doing better isn’t a surprise.”

Tetsuhiro blinked. “Why would it not be one?” He asked.

“Because the eight who did this are all SAO Survivors,” Shiro replied. “Seven of whom were the ones to end SAO at that and the eighth is also a known quantity.” He didn’t mention his suspicions on two of the members of that group, Tetsuhiro was responsible for quest development, not the core elements of ALO or its internal development. And even then, he was told not to voice those suspicions by the CEO’s son, who had likely drawn similar conclusions.

He wouldn’t be surprised if the CEO had the same suspicions as well. “Again, I don’t see why this is concerning,” he said.

“Sir, to be frank, their reaction speeds were superhuman,” Tetsuhiro said. “And that one, Hadrian, he created a spell whole cloth.”

“They’re SAO Survivors, Shirakaze,” Shiro said. “More importantly, they were members of the Assault Team. I was one of the ones responsible for monitoring what was going on inside SAO until it ended. Their reaction speeds are fully in line with what we’ve seen from that group. As for Hadrian creating a spell, ALO’s engine is almost a perfect copy of SAO’s. His doing so is less surprising than you think.”

“How so?”

“SAO allowed for the creation of combat skills, so it stands that ALO would allow for it.” Shiro said.

“I don’t see what that had to do with a player creating a spell,” Tetsuhiro said. “The Words of Power have to be said in a specific way and--”

“It does when that player uses Words of Power in a creative way, Shirakaze.” Shiro said with a sigh. “Something that someone, say someone who survived what SAO could throw at him, would do. This isn’t the first spell he created, which has been brought to my attention. I will tell you what I was told by Executive Yuuki’s son. Hadrian had informed him that he intended to see if he could do just that.”

“Sir, that makes no sense,” Tetsuhiro protested. “The magic system of ALO can’t be that flexible and creating new spells is said to be a complex thing.”

“What Hadrian did, both here and last week, could say otherwise,” Shiro countered. “The team responsible for spell creation in the game also gave their input on that. They told me that what he managed to do is allowed by ALO’s system. They’ve created more than eighty percent of the spells that same way. It’s difficult, as it requires knowing the correct Words of Power to use, what they mean, _and_ getting the order right, but it is possible. Hadrian may have gone from the precedent SAO established but he did it the same way the development team responsible for spells does it.”

“I see,” Tetsuhiro said. “So, when the complete quest goes live, we can expect to see this again, or will there be changed to it to prevent this kind of feat?”

“It will remain as is,” Shiro said. “This entire update has been delayed for too long as it is and there is no need to change things.” And hadn’t fixing _one_ particular issue, Sugou’s Admin Lock, taken some work to figure out how to disable? “That quest was intentionally designed to be difficult, and even they only managed to do so well due to their own experience with more dangerous and difficult scenarios. Is there anything else?”

Tetsuhiro recognized the dismissal inherent in the question if there was nothing else. “No sir, there isn’t anything else,” he said and stood up. Bowing, he left the office, allowing for Shiro to turn his attention back to the footage. While impressive, he could see how they pulled it off. He wondered if other players would figure it out.

SAO Survivors, if they attempted it, were likely to. But what about those who weren’t?

He saw an email notification and sighed. Closing the video, he opened it and read through the contents. A complaint about the group that he and Tetsuhiro just talked about, with an attached video as well. He wondered what it was this time as he opened the attached video and watched it. He had complaints revolving around known SAO Survivors routed through a team specifically because ALO Players would notice the difference in skill and think that someone had managed to hack ALO itself, preposterous as that was.

But for something to be routed to him, this was either going to be a serious issue that required investigating, or the team thought it would be amusing to watch. As the video played, he shook his head. He sent a reply back to say that the matter was resolved and to inform that player that nothing in the complaint required an official response.

That idiot had it coming, what else could be said? They weren’t going to do something just because the provocateur’s feelings got hurt.

He made a note to check YouTube and Nico Nico. At least one of the players who saw this would have recorded it and posted it online. He was willing to bet money that the video had already gone viral.

And the video was serving to be a nice distraction for him right now.

**Alfheim - Arun**

The Valkyrie’s Rest Inn was their preferred place to log out. Not only did it have rooms ranging from spacious to small, but the food and drink was excellent in Lux’s opinion. The inn also had several private rooms that they could rent if they wanted to remain undisturbed for various things, like meetings. Or simply avoiding groups. After what they had managed to do an hour ago, that was definitely a plus.

“You would think that after how Harry verbally tore that one _mudak_ a new one, they would take the hint,” Rain said after she took a deep pull from her beer. “But of course, _noooo_ , they wouldn’t. And you know someone recorded that and is posting it online.”

Lux nodded, looking around the table. Everyone was in more casual clothing rather than armor. Asuna and Kirito over to her right were sitting and talking with Yui, while Harry, Silica and Strea were to her left with Harry and Strea quietly chatting about something. Probably the recent dressing down he gave that one player. Of the entire group, Harry could be the most scathing in his comments to someone that got his ire.

Rain might use profanity more, but Harry always made his uses of it count.

“You have to admit, though they were a lot politer about it,” Silica remarked. “Still just as insistent, but politer.”

That, Lux had to agree with. Any SAO Survivor would have seen the warning signs that their patience was already wearing thin, something that the ALO players would have to learn. Harry also had a reputation for being caustic to those who managed to rouse his ire. Though, she had been worried that things would probably get violent with how furious he was. Her SA had gone haywire with the clear fury and barely restrained bloodlust coming from him until he forced it back.

Not that the rest of them were any less furious.

Her protest to Rain about finding some other body part to beat that ass down with was only partially joking. She was tempted to shove his own arm up his own ass shoulder joint first for what he said.

“Harry’s dressing down that idiot and scaring several years off his life aside,” Asuna said. “Not to mention what the rest of us wanted to do to him, Kirito and I just finished talking with Yui about the end point to that part of the Grand Quest.” She turned to the little Spriggan. “Yui, if you would?”

Yui nodded and then took a sip her her own drink. “Yes,” she said. “The gate there covers a portal which is probably set to send us to the next place. It’s probably the Floating City that’s in the game lore, but we won’t find out until the beatable version of the quest goes live. Anyway, it was locked, but not by an inactive quest flag. It was locked by an Administrative Lock, an old one. We would have needed Admin Permissions to get past it.”

“They went that far?” Harry asked.

“Not quite,” Yui said. “The Administrative Lock was an SAO lock, not an ALO one. Strea and I have come across a couple of places with Administrative Locks here, so I know the difference. You all are aware that ALO was built using the source code for the SAO Beta, but ALO has evolved in several divergent ways since.”

“Which only makes sense,” Kirito said. “I talked with Leafa, who has been playing ALO since the Beta, and she has noted that the game has changed in several ways, especially after the guy who was in charge of ALO got fired and arrested. I looked up some things when I got out of the hospital. He was also in charge of monitoring and keeping the SAO servers going and… he did something that had consequences.”

“What would those be?” Lux asked.

“Strea and I wouldn’t have successfully broken free if it wasn’t for CARDINAL and Kayaba being too busy fixing the damage that he did to pay more attention,” Yui said. “You all know one consequence. It was the Mee Forest on the 65th Floor, what you called The Glitchzone.” She paused. “I have reason to believe that it also was ultimately responsible for him revealing himself when he did.”

“He did say something along those lines,” Rain mused causing Lux to frown in thought. Only one event on that particular day was remembered by her with absolute clarity; when they all fought and killed Kayaba. The details of what happened before that had faded a bit after all these months.

He did take some time to explain why he was doing that, but the exact words eluded her. It was probably a result of her not paying as much attention to what he was saying in her shock at the time.

“He did,” Silica said. “Harry and I had an opportunity to watch a recording from the feeds from his Nerve Gear when we had our little trip to England.” At everyone’s curious looks, she shrugged. “We’ll explain later.”

“Let’s get back on topic,” Asuna said. “Yui, about that Administrative Lock, it means what I think it means, doesn’t it?”

Yui nodded.

“I see.” Asuna said before shaking her head. “Well, regardless of that, my brother said that it will be beatable next week and I have no reason to doubt him. So let’s go over how things went when we were there earlier. If we do this with only the eight of us, then we won’t be able to simply blitz it. That initial rush worked well early on, but the mobs spawn too quickly for us to sustain that momentum.”

“But the momentum we did build served us well,” Harry said. “We were able to keep going, rather than get bogged down. That is probably the mistake a number of groups probably made.”

“We also ignored the mobs that weren’t in our way,” Silica added. “That worked for a while, but after we got high enough, even they started moving in our direction. And with the fact that new mobs keep spawning, the upper limit of how many of them could be there at one time has to be fairly high.”

Asuna nodded. “And we don’t know what that upper limit is,” she said.

“By the time we wiped, there were four hundred and sixty-nine of them against us,” Strea said. “I kept my eye on the numbers the rest of you were facing while I was a Remain Light.” She added. “Nothing a full Assault Team raid couldn’t handle if they were on the ball, but the spawns were continuing and the numbers were increasing.”

“Either way, it would be too many for eight of us to fight,” Kirito said, “Even with how weak and easy to kill those mobs were on an individual level, their numbers and the spawn rate make it more like fighting an invincible boss. We’d last a while, but that’s it.”

They all nodded.

“And they target anyone who uses healing magic as soon as they do so,” Rain said. “On the other hand, they target whoever used healing magic last. We handled that little problem quite nicely.”

“And if we time them right, or manage to pull off simultaneous heals, it confuses their targeting algorithm,” Lux added.

“That did come in handy for that last push to the clouds,” Strea noted. “I’ll admit, magic’s not my strong suit. I’m more a physical fighter, but any player worth his or her blade knows at least the basic healing spell. My mana is lower than anyone else’s here, but I can do a basic healing spell a few times.”

“And I can double down on that with Pina,” Silica said, giving the feathered dragon an affectionate scratch. “She has her own mana reserve, though it is low. That gives us nine healers, rather than eight.”

“And there’s Harry’s personally developed spell before we made our way back,” Yui said. “It wasn’t as limited in duration as what you all said that the affinity transfers in SAO were.”

“The spell works like a buff,” Harry said. “It cost a lot of mana, so it’s definitely high level. I also think it’s sustained by my mana, since the cost seemed to be a permanent reduction on my mana for as long as it lasts. Or until it is dispelled, whichever comes first. At least, that’s what I think. I play around with it a few more times, using _ek_ , _þú_ and _oss_ to represent myself, any one of you, or everyone, respectively. You all interested?”

“It would establish any limitations on use,” Asuna said with a nod. “And it will allow us to know it from use and experience with it. And other elements?”

“Lux and Silica saw me do a self-buff with a water one,” Harry said. “Didn’t duplicate the water affinity at all. It was a precision buff. It did exactly what the Words of Power said for it to do, so that is something to keep in mind. If you make a spell, the Words of Power have to be exact and any context, if any, will be limited.”

“Makes sense,” Kirito said. “They based them off of an existing language and went with dictionary definitions. Things like contextual meanings wouldn’t have been considered or programmed into it all. And the spells would work more like computer programs in that regard.” He snorted. “There’s a saying about computer programs. ‘The good thing about computer programs is that they do exactly what you tell them to. The bad thing about computer programs is that they do _exactly_ what you tell them to.’”

“And what does that make Yui and I?” Strea asked. “We don’t always do exactly what we’re told, after all.”

“That’s simple,” Harry said. “It makes you people.” He then yelped as Strea grabbed him into a hug, his face smothered by her large chest.

Silica probably would have said something, but her head was buried in Strea’s cleavage right next to his.

Everyone present stared for a moment before laughing at the sight.

**March 20, 2025 - Unplottable Location, Shiba Compound**

“So this is where my tutoring will be managed?” Harry asked as they entered the room.

“For the most part, Harry,” Kaoru said. “Rooms like this are warded to take the potential abuse that using magic can put a room through, as is the courtyard outside. Nothing like the kind of work that’s steeped into Hogwarts’ own stones, but it will more than suffice.”

Harry nodded. That the compound didn’t hold a candle compared to Hogwarts in terms of protections was unsurprising to him. Hogwarts, was over a thousand years old and headmasters and various staff have been adding to the protections over time. When someone said that Hogwarts was the safest place, magically speaking, to take shelter in on the British Isles, they weren’t exaggerating overly much.

Not that dangers couldn’t come from within but that was a weakness of any place, no matter how secure.

Still, he would have a place to practice magic in. The residents of the Furinkan District might not care if he did so there, but it was best to not borrow trouble, let alone go looking for it.

“By the way, Harry, have you determined who among the tutors that the Ministry of Shugenja thought would be the best suited for you will be chosen?” Kaoru asked. “It is coming close to when you will have to choose them, after all, or the Ministry will make the decision for you.”

“Sirius and I still need to meet with a couple of them, but that’s more for form’s sake, we already have an idea of who will be picked,” Harry said. “You know that we brought Remus Lupin over to Japan. He’s a former professor at Hogwarts and knows the English standards for all the subjects. While I would like for him to be a tutor, especially in the subject he taught there, I know that the Ministry of Shugenja has the final say in the matter.”

“There shouldn’t be a problem,” Kaoru said. “They will want to assess his qualifications, but the fact that he was qualified to teach at Hogwarts should be enough for them. At worst, they will have someone observing things for a while. At worse, I'll have Ryuunosuke's student Richard show up as a reminder to anyone that gets too... political.” At Harry's look, she smiled slightly. "Mr. Brown is an enthusiastic scholar of world magic and can talk circles around people in five languages. He can go from harmless looking foreign otaku to internationally renowned lawyer almost as quickly as Hikoma and Tanba can go from dignified retainers to doting grandfather types."  
  
Harry nodded when a thought occurred to him. His and Keiko getting rightly disciplined for breaking the statute as they had resulted in less than he expected. At the time, he hadn’t questioned it, having been told that it would have been the most likely result by both Gus and Argo. He wasn’t going to dispute it, not at all. He knew how lightly both he and Keiko got off in comparison to how they _could_ have been punished. But a part of him still wondered when the other shoe would drop.

He was here, and the thought had occurred to him, so maybe he could get some clarification.

“Lady Shiba,” he said. “I know it’s been a few months and it would probably be more appropriate to bring it up with your son, as he was the one who handled the matter, but I have a question.”

“What question would that be?” Kaoru asked.

“Is there anything, or anyone for that matter, Keiko and I should watch out for, given that we were both put on notice about our violating the Statute of Secrecy?” He asked.

“Well, it took longer than I expected and it seems as if Mako won the bet,” Kaoru said, gesturing for him to sit-- when had the Kuroka brought pillows? Damn, the Shiba household staff were good. “We were all wondering when one of you would ask about if anything further was in the works.” She gave a light laugh when Harry shot her a grumpy look. “I was almost certain that Miss Ayano-- or perhaps it should be Mrs. Ayano-Potter? Well, regardless, I had thought that she would have been the one to enquire about it given her family history.”

“Wait, she would be recognized as a family head even here?” Harry asked.

Kaoru nodded. “Yes,” she said. “She wears the ring after all and we Japanese take things like that very seriously. Regardless of whether you two are legally recognized as married, she still holds the authority as Lady Potter.”

"We were just trying to make something we could hang on to," Harry said with a sigh.

"Admirable," Kaoru allowed. "May I offer you the same advice I offered Ami and August?"

"Please, if only so I can tell if I've already heard it," Harry asked, and his frustration must of showed on his face because Lady Shiba gave him a short, musical laugh.

"You look so like your mother's father just now. I met him once, but he tended to leave an impression," Kaoru said, ignoring her family servants as they brought tea. This time Harry noticed them, so he had to make himself not react.

"Sirius has mentioned him a few times," Harry noted, tasting the tea and nodding approval to his host. "Barley?"

"I'm fond of it," Kaoru admitted. She looked thoughtful. "I never knew my birth father. He died to a demon clan attack. My stepfather is a good man, who raised me as his own. Tanba... he goes through spells where, out of worry, he pressures me to indulge him in marriage meetings. When I was younger, it was possible betrothals. Even after mother died, my stepfather was resolute. Tanba may offer... but he does not decide, you see? No matter my age, he does not decide. I do. Mother and Yo were my role models, and they taught me one great thing."

Harry met her eyes and she smiled.

"A marriage is not a singular event, or a thing two people possess. It is an agreement to engage in a project together. It is ever evolving, ever changing-- a process. As such, it will never be perfect and isn't so much completed as abandoned or ended due to the end of one of the participants. Yo has a new wife, and I count her as family because she understands this, that I am not bundled with the marriage as an additional perk or deficit-- I am a person in her husband's life, a life she has joined. You understand?"

“I… think I do,” Harry said after a moment. “Marriage is like a big elective you choose."

"Yes," Kaoru said, smiling.

"And the big project I'm being graded on is the whole being together thing," Harry said.

"And the sign of passing is you've either figured out you don't want to do the project anymore or you get to keep doing it," Kaoru said with a smirk.

"Basically, same as the ongoing solo exam for living a life," Harry muttered into his tea cup.

He wouldn't tell anyone about the strange snort like sound he heard; he didn't make it and a lady of Kaoru Shiba's status wouldn't either.

Harry set his cup down and looked at the old fashioned paper walls that outlined the room. "That means that as time goes on, things change. They grow. They become something new. And it will remain that way until it ends. The course syllabus is subject to revision.” He chuckled. “And now I see why some in Nerima, or at least in the Furinkan District, act as if the lack of legality in our marriage in Aincrad doesn’t mean anything.”

"Well, you two seem to still be submitting the course work," Kaoru said drily, smiling over her own cup.

**March 21, 2025 - Pacific Ocean, Fifty Miles off the Coast of Japan**

The _MV Vesperine_ was officially a cargo ship registered in and flying the colors of Panama, not that any savvy authority at a port of call would believe it. Panama was well known to be used as a Flag of convenience for ship-owners and companies, after all.

But for Gabriel Miller, it served its purpose well. The CIA had a presence in Japan, managed by Daniel Williams from the United States Embassy, but simply doing the work of an intelligence agency to further the interests of the United States wasn’t what the ship was for. If you looked at it the right way, furthering the interests of the United States was.

Miller prided himself on looking at things in a manner that got the job done.

He sat at the small desk in his quarters on the ship and looked over the reports of his group’s last attempt to change things within Alfheim Online. An attempt that was only partially successful. Still, preventing something from being eliminated by the developers without their knowledge or it getting into the logs showed that they were on the right track on properly inserting themselves in and controlling it.

The others may be thinking that he was doing this to test some cyber warfare capabilities, using a system that was as secure as most developed countries’ secure government systems as a test bed. And yes, that was one of the reasons for it, but not the only one.

Where else would he have room, without the other... interested parties in his government catching on?

People were so naive about The Government. So often saying, "oh, the government did ‘X’, it did ‘Y’, and it’s hiding 'Z'. With any given government, there were a great many departments, divisions, sections and subsections. They all competed for resources and time, they all competed for attention, and they often found themselves wittingly and, more often, unwittingly at cross purposes. Why the hell else would government in-fighting be an oh-so-common trope in fiction?

Right now, he had a golden opportunity. A place to forward his interests, what he felt his government should be interested in... All the while skipping merrily past any number of nosy fuckers. The CIA Cyber Intelligence division had a sadly narrow vision. There were elements of the Secret Service who'd want a say-- keep an eye on the goddamn President, the over-hyped bodyguards.

He was even tip toeing past dear old Eden Blake and her monkey. Blake, who'd ignored so many of his reports on the dangers Cybermancy posed in the modern world. Even the Brits were awakening to it, but Blake-- he was just supposed to trust that the Voodoo People had it in hand.

Fuck that. Miller knew what he was-- not even a squib, not a hint of magic in his background-- and that's why he saw what the Magic-users didn’t. He had _perspective._

And ALO? A game that had any number of confirmed magicals wired into the damn thing?

It would make for a perfect petri dish. He had himself, a couple of hackers from Cyber Intel, and two mages he'd brought to his side. A good old government conspiracy-- the real kind, always about Intel or money or both. His was about Intel-- learning by pushing things, by nudging a situation to get some live testing.

He smirked at the dossiers piled nearby. There was a fucking guild of magic using school mates, with ties to one of the most infamous of SAO's magical survivors.

Gabe shook his head. "Boy-Who-Lived, Man-Who-Won," he muttered to himself. That was the Limey magicals, dressing up a patsy like a hero.

Potter was definitely a POI. Not for who he is, but for what he managed to do.

The first person to perform actual magic in a virtual world. And Blake and the Japs and the Brits were just letting it sit at a few visits from Bloody Billy Gravel.

Someone had to take action. Gabe had never thought himself the hero type.

But someone had to do what needed to be done.

**March 25, 2025 - Alfheim, Arun**

They had to wait a couple of hours before everyone could make it, which had made Yuuki want to groan in frustration. Of _course_ half their number would have treatments and appointments the same day they planned to try and be the first ones to complete what had previously been impossible.

Stupid hospitals! Stupid terminal conditions!

“Yuuki, calm down,” came the voice of Ran, her twin sister. Well, twin in the real world. In ALO she played a different race. An Undine here. Fair enough.

Yuuki looked toward her sister and pouted. “But Ran, the quest became live today,” she said. “This is our chance. Not to regain the record, but to be the first ones to actually finish it!”

Ran chuckled. “Maybe not the first ones,” she said as she pointed at the massive gate that lead to the Path of Eternity. Yuuki saw a large group of Salamanders gathered and snorted.

“Them?” She asked. “We beat their best time and got as far as we did with a fifth of the numbers. If that one group that beat our best a week ago was there, then I would be worried that someone would manage it. You were in the hospital at the time, but I was here with Tecchi and saw the incident when one of that group tore into someone after it.”

“I know,” Ran said. “I watched the video that you took and sent me. And that group managing it, well, you can’t be upset about that now, can you?”

Yuuki looked at her sister. “Upset that the group of SAO Survivors that freed everyone and put an end to it managed better than we did?” She asked. “I’m not upset.” She saw Ran’s disbelieving look at her. “All right, I’m a little upset by it. That record was _ours_. Our mark on this world. At least it was _them_ who beat it, you know what I mean? And be glad you weren’t actually here to see it. That Sylph, Hadrian? He scared _everyone_ who was there to see it when that one idiot managed to get him angry.” She shuddered.

How could someone be so tranquil when the fury radiating off of him was so suffocating?

Ran nodded. “Given who he is, are you surprised?” she asked. “I know you watched the streamed SAO footage, sister. You know what those who went through SAO went through. What they had to do in order to survive and make sure as many came out of it alive as they could.” She looked toward the door and watched the raid of Salamanders walk in.

“I wonder, sometimes, if we did the right thing in stopping Merida from getting in,” Ran said. “When it started, all we thought was that it was a death sentence. And then the feeds reopened. We stopped her from going in and doing what she could do. I know she didn’t blame us, but I still wonder. Could her presence there have done something? Did we really save her life?”

Yuuki understood the question for what it was. Merida, a former beta tester for SAO, spent a lot of her time watching what went on there. Yuuki knew that a part of their friend wondered what she could have done, even after she and her sister had managed to convince her to not throw herself in there.

Neither of the two believed for a moment that she wanted to go in there to get everyone trapped in SAO out. Not entirely, at least. No, she had wanted to go there to give herself a purpose, to die on _her_ terms, not terms dictated by her illness. To make her death mean something.

And she and her sister had talked her out of it.

Still, she watched and, three days after SAO ended, she finally succumbed. The first of their group to die from the thing that brought them all together, terminal illness. Clovis, another, was fading and wasn’t expected to last another month.

Such was their lot in life.

Ran’s choice to pick an Undine made sense to those who knew her. She had brought them all together. She had been the one to persuade them to use the VR games as a means of being able to do something, as fake as it was. She was the one who told them to not give up.

So what if what they could do online wouldn’t affect them in the real world? It gave them the illusion that it could. In that light, picking a race gifted at healing was just like her sister. The reality of their situation would kill them, but they were alive now. And she would give them that illusion of having a life outside of their reality.

Always thinking of others before herself. That was the reason she had given up the option of being the one to test the Medicuboid, after all. There was no guarantee that it would bought enough time, only that it would buy that time. Time that…

_No,_ Yuuki thought to herself. _Don’t go there_. _There is nothing that can be done yet, and it’s likely that neither of us will last until then. I may last longer, but longer doesn’t mean long enough._

Yuuki had long since decided to face the inevitability of her death head on. She wouldn’t run from it, she wouldn’t hide from it. She would fight every step of the way.

And until that day when she couldn’t fight it off any longer, she would _live_.

##

They had agreed to meet up in the afternoon. Asuna had provided them materials to help them begin to catch up with their grade levels. They didn’t know what the expected materials would be, but Japan’s education standards were publicly available, so they knew at least the generalities of what they would likely cover. So it had been time to start cracking open the books. Starting with the materials for the grade level before where they were going to end up.

In Silica’s case, it resulted in her and Harry meeting at her grandparents’ dojo so they could work together on it. Aside from the fact that his knowledge of Japan’s history was understandably lacking, he had a surprising grasp of mathematics and science. He was behind, naturally, but he had less problem with working his way through the materials for both subjects than expected.

“Contrary to popular belief, there is no conflict between science and magic,” he said. “Magic is simply a different philosophy than science but still has the same requirements for something to be accepted as a Natural Law. A Law of Magic, perhaps, but still a Law. And don’t forget, some sciences like chemistry, have their origins in magical fields of study. Alchemy in that case, if you’re wondering.”

Silica knew that Chemistry had its origins in Alchemy, something that many people tended to forget. She also knew that the separation between magic and science was a lot finer than the hard line that most scientists believed.

Seeing a Jusenkyo Curse in action, let alone experiencing the more temporary version of it, was proof enough of that. Absence of scientifically provable evidence was not the same as an evidence of the absence of a phenomenon.

_And my thoughts have gone on a tangent,_ she thought. She chuckled and got Harry’s attention.

“What’s so funny, dear?” He asked.

“Nothing, just pondering what scientists would think if they had actual scientific proof of magic,” she said. “Well, outside of wondering where the torches and pitchforks were.”

Harry snorted. “Your dad’s a scientist, why don’t you ask him?” He asked.

“I did once,” she replied drily. “He just laughed.”

“Laughed?” Came a question from behind them in a familiar voice. “Who laughed, and about what?”

Both Silica and Harry turned and grinned. “Klein!” Silica said happily.

“Silica, Kid,” Klein acknowledged.

“We’ve been wondering how you have been doing,” Harry said. “And I don’t see Harry One around, and haven’t seen him active in my Friends List, so why are you still calling me ‘kid’?”

“Oh, you know, get out of the hospital, move back in with my parents, regular physio and counseling, finding a job, things like that,” Klein said. “And I’m calling you ‘Kid’ because I always called you that in SAO.”

Harry nodded. “Fair enough,” he said. “So you’re still getting things in order and are now looking for a job. How is that going?”

“It’s going,” Klein said. “I got re-accredited as a teacher, but with the physio and counseling that’s going on, I can’t simply take a teaching job right yet.”

Silica blinked. Klein, a teacher? That occupation didn’t seem his type.

“I do have a possible tutoring job lined up,” Klein continued. “Some English kid on a specialized education track. You might even know him.”

Silica noticed the sly look Klein was giving Harry and had to restrain a giggle.

“I might know him?” Harry asked. “Klein, there are millions of English kids in the world, and easily hundreds in Japan. It’s like me pointing at some random Japanese girl in London and asking Silica if she knows her. So, how would I just know some random English bloke?”

“Oh, I think you know this one,” Klein said confidently.

_He’s baiting you, Harry,_ Silica thought in amusement, still managing to contain her giggles. Her body was shaking from the tips of her ears to the tip of her tail from the strain of holding them in, but she was managing.

“And just who would this... English kid be?” Harry asked.

“Well, as I said, it’s only a possible one,” Klein said. “I still got to meet with him and his guardian.”

“Klein,” Harry said. “The point. The identity and why I would know him. Who. Is. It?”

“As I said, you might know him,” Klein said cheerfully. “His name is Harry Potter. That name ring a bell?”

At Harry’s stunned look, Silica couldn’t help it. She fell to the ground in laughter, causing Pina to take flight with a startled squawk.

Harry's cry of, "You son of a bitch!" and the slaps on the shoulder he gave their grinning and protesting friend just made her laugh harder.

**Yggdrasil City**

Asuna blinked the spots out of her eyes after the light from the teleport that moved them from the Path of Eternity to here faded.

It had more or less gone the same way it had last week. Not the same as being completely predictable, but knowing what to expect and their own knowledge of how the mobs would act made doing what should have been a difficult raid for forty or more players almost easy with just nine.

Well, easy in comparison to how it seemed when they had done their attempt last week in order to gather information on it. They had gone in blind then, preferring to gather their own information. It hadn’t taken them long to realize that a lot of information that could be had within ALO was suspect or outright false.

It made her miss having Argo around. The information broker was a gadfly and trolling pain in the ass when bored, but she never lied or misled you when it came to information. She told you up front how reliable it was, whether she personally verified it, and other details.

She knew that Argo was active, they were on each other’s friends lists, after all. So she knew that Argo had recently begun to log into ALO, if never at a time when any of them could meet up.

Using the messaging system was never as good as doing things in person. Especially since unlike the polish that was found in Argo's SAO newspaper, the woman's e-mails were laden with puns, typos, bad structure, and various other "quirks" that made them a headache inducing task to decipher.

Asuna knew she was doing that on purpose as well. The broker had her preferences, and was a consummate social engineer. When she wasn't feeling as diplomatic as right now, Asuna would flatly call her friend a troll, much to the information broker’s amusement.

There was a reason why Silica referred to her as a kitsune and no one in the guild would be surprised if she actually was one.

She turned her thoughts away from there and looked to where they were now.

It appeared to be a courtyard of some sort, with the group being on a raised dais. While not completely similar, she could tell that the devs had used to teleport gates from Aincrad as a template to base the dais off of. She turned her attention outward, taking in the features of the courtyard itself, seeing the statues which lined a path leading inward. A thump from behind had her turn to see Lisbeth, who had decided to join them if they were willing to have her along, fall to her knees.

“That… was insane,” the Leprechaun panted.

“We did warn you,” Rain said, stepping off the dais. “But you wanted to come with us anyway. You did well, if that means anything.”

“Thanks… I think,” Lisbeth said. “I know you guys said it was a bit crazy, but you didn’t say we would be doing something insane like taking on an entire army.”

Kirito chuckled. “Liz, when we say something’s a bit crazy, it’s by _our_ standards,” he said.

“Forgot that crazy to you would be battshit insane to anyone who has a remotely reasonable outlook on things.” Lisbeth snarked.

“Hey, you managed to keep up with us,” Strea said. “You’re better than you think.”

“Whether or not I am good in a fight by the standards of you maniacs, doesn’t matter,” Lisbeth countered. “I am a blacksmith first and foremost. I make weapons so that you all can practice the ancient art of stabbing the shit out of something. Yeah, I can fight, I had to be able to so that I can farm mats myself, but fighting isn’t only what I do. You get what I mean?”

“Umm… I guess?” Strea replied, if a bit uncertain.

“Think of it as if your tailoring hobby was what you mainly did, with the going out and fighting being the hobby,” Yui said. “Her going out and fighting is the hobby, not what she mainly does.”

“I wouldn’t have put it that way,” Lisbeth said. “But that does sum up what I and most other crafters did in SAO. If we were out fighting, it was because we were either farming mats or keeping our levels up.” She looked back at the dais. “So… where do we go from here?”

Asuna looked down the path that was marked by the statues lining it. She could make out a door in the wall that surrounded the courtyard. “I think I have an idea,” she said with some amusement. “If anything, I would say that we have an invitation.”

“Well, let’s not be rude then,” Kirito said.

##

It took everything Strea had in her digital soul to not pull her zweihander out and cut this… king… in half. Everything from his appearance, with his stringy blonde hair, his narrow eyes and the sheer arrogance radiating from his posture made her wonder if this was supposed to be a discussion, or the prelude to a battle.

“It was quite the accomplishment to make it through the test that the Path of Eternity is,” the NPC, Oberon, said in a tone that made it clear that he didn’t expect them to have done it. He gave them all a look, as if they were beneath him but was forced to acknowledge their accomplishment.

“An accomplishment that took us all to complete,” Harry said firmly.

“Indeed,” came the response. “And, perhaps, it is best that the old way of granting the infinite flight is no longer a concern, though the need to cooperate and the inevitable conflict when only one race would be gifted with it was of some… amusement to me.”

Strea felt a small hand rest on her wrist. She glanced to her side and down and saw Yui look at her and shake her head. Strea would have thought that it was because the smaller AI tried to be the more mature one of them, but the tension in the Spriggan’s body showed that she was doing it as much to restrain herself.

She grasped her sister's small hand and squeezed. "It's just a sophisticated game with some fairly good scripts to dole out the intended reward," she reminded herself.

“Still, the forms must be observed,” Oberon said. “So step forward and be granted this boon.”

All of them did. Then Kirito moved just close enough to touch Yui's shoulder. "That's the problem, isn't it? It's in your Uncanny Valley."

“ _Ek gef þér vald til að svífa í himininn að eilífu með krafti álfa_.” He said, with the Words of Power circling him.

Strea noticed all of their bodies glow and she saw a system message appear in front of her even as she blinked at Kirito's insight. That was a part of it-- the others clearly looked at Oberon and saw a jerkass character. She and Yui saw something that simulated themselves so closely the gap was revolting.

_SYSTEM MESSAGE: YOU HAVE BEEN GRANTED ENDLESS FLIGHT **.**_

“It is done,” Oberon said. “Enjoy your gift.” He turned away, clearly showing that this audience was over.

##

“Did anyone else feel that something was wrong with that NPC?” Rain asked as they passed the entrance to the courtyard they entered the palace through. “Because when he looked at me, I felt like I needed to take a bath in acid to clean the slime off.”

“Stabbing him and setting him on fire was definitely an idea I was courting,” Harry admitted. “Did they have to make this King Oberon such a…?”

“An obvious scumbag?” Lux asked.

“I would say a greasy git, but that would be an insult to a certain former professor of mine,” Harry said. “But yes, calling that NPC scum seems appropriate. Also, anyone else feel robbed?”

"Take that, and add feeling like he's so obviously wrong because he comes close," Yui said, rubbing her forehead.

"Strea and Yui have discovered they have an Uncanny Valley response," Kirito said.

"Oh, ouch," Silica said with a wince. "Too close to representing you without making it."

"So, nice build up, fumbled the ending," Asuna noted. "And even without that, Yui... something made me want to kill that character with fire. Like he was really intended to be a villain."

There were several grumbling assents in response. Not that Rain could blame them. They went through all that trouble, tackled a quest that gave them quite the challenge and all they had for it was a conversation and being told that they now could fly as much as they wanted?

The endless flight would be nice, but the presentation was…

“I think I speak for us all when I say this, but… laaaaaame,” Strea said.

“What was lame?” Came a voice she hadn’t heard in months, causing them all to stop and turn in the direction it came from. She saw someone she would recognize anywhere, regardless of what race he played as. Klein didn’t look overly different from how he did in SAO. He was in armor, of course, but the robes he wore under it gave him more of a unified vibe than what he had worn in SAO, which had looked more to be something he scavenged from a battlefield and fixed up, rather than something that looked like it actually belonged.

He looked more like a proper samurai, or at least a passable equivalent given ALO’s aesthetics, than a bandit. Rain had to admit, she liked the look. She liked it a lot.

  
The group he was with was an interesting one as well Two Undines, another Salamander, an Imp, a Gnome, a Spriggan and a Leprechaun. She saw a Sylph with them, making the group nine in all.

“So, you all cleared the quest with only nine?” She asked, looking at Klein.

“Yeah, they asked me and… um… Leafa, right?” At the Sylph’s nod he grinned. “They asked the two of us if we were willing to work with them on attempting to clear it. The group I was waiting for had to cancel, so I had no problem. And Leafa here was…”

“I was hoping to link up with you guys,” she said. “But you already started, and I know I sent my brother a message.” She shot Kirito an irritated look. Rain noticed Asuna also giving Kirito a look, especially when he obviously checked his messages and got a sheepish look on his face.

“So, how about we do some introductions?” Lux asked. “And since I brought it up, I’ll introduce the group.” She looked at the others who either nodded or simply gestured for her to go on, and took a breath. “Okay, we are Steel Phoenix, and before you ask, yes, we’re _that_ Steel Phoenix.

Lisbeth straightened herself. “I’m not a member of their group, just a friend of theirs,” she said. “Lisbeth, Leprechaun, blacksmith, and normally saner than this bunch of lunatics.”

"Keep telling yourself that," Klein muttered. "Never worked for me..."

“Drunken Dragon Wrangling,” Asuna said. “And I had to pick up two of mine from jail due to that.”

"Totally worth it, though," Klein said amicably with both Harry and Kirito nodding.

Asuna shook her head. “Well, as you can tell, we’re Steel Phoenix,” she said. “And you?”

The younger Undine stepped forward. “We’re the Sleeping Knights,” she said. “I’m Ran, their leader. I’ve heard of you all. You’re… Asuna, right?”

“I am,” Asuna said. “And Sleeping Knights? You’re the ones who held the record in the Path of Eternity until last week, right?”

“Yes,” Ran said.

Asuna nodded. “That was not easy for us to beat,” she said. “Though we used the method that we broke the record with to complete the quest today.”

Ran nodded. “I have an idea of how you beat our record in the first place,” she said. “You hit fast and used the momentum to keep going.”

Asuna nodded.

“I figured that was how you did it,” Ran said. “That’s what we did. I made sure that everyone knew what the plan was before we started and even battle nuts like Yuuki and Jun here were willing to go for it.” She indicated the Imp and the other Salamander, both of whom shrugged. “Then again, we still need to complete the quest.”

“Just head down the hall until you reach the throne room,” Rain said, indicating the direction the group should head in. “You will turn the quest in to King Oberon there and… well, I won’t spoil it for you.”

“Thank you,” Ran said before she gestured for her group to come with her.

“Well, see you guys in a few!” Klein said cheerfully.

##

They had decided to explore Yggdrasil City when both Yui and Strea seemed to lead them all unerringly to this place. Neither of the two could explain why they had led them here, only that they had a feeling of something familiar.

From the surface, it seemed to almost be some kind of shop, but Asuna could see signs that it was less a shop that sold wares and more a workshop. There were various odds and ends lying around, various tools, a few flasks, and some diagrams that made absolutely no sense to Asuna’s eyes… it just had that look.

But the feel from the place was unlike anything she had felt in ALO. If anything, it was almost as if she had stepped into some workshop in...

“I was not expecting visitors,” came a woman’s voice. “In fact, I shouldn’t have been receiving any at all. So I wonder how you all-- oh. This is certainly unexpected. Good, but… unexpected.”

Asuna turned her attention and scrutinized the owner of the voice. She was an Undine with aquiline features, wearing flowing robes that were slightly different than the ones worn by the typical player who specialized in spellcasting. The pince-nez glasses that rested on the bridge of her nose, while clearly cosmetic, gave her a more scholarly look.

“And who might you be?” Asuna asked.

“I am CARDINAL,” the Undine said. “I am or, to be more accurate, _was_ , the primary administrative artificial intelligence of Aincrad. And I have been waiting for an opportunity to meet you all, Steel Phoenix-- OMPH!”

The figure's gravitas was thoroughly broken as she was glomped with a cry of "BIG SIS!" by Strea and Yui.

After a moment, the Undine wrapped her arms around the two.

"Family," Silica snarked.

"... it is agreeable," CARDINAL decided.


	18. From Tiny Seeds

**March 25, 2025 - Alfheim, Yggdrasil City**

It took a little bit of time before Yui and Strea let CARDINAL go and backed away. The AI would admit, her sisters showing their affection in front of everyone was somewhat embarrassing, but not overly so. As she had admitted, it was agreeable and, if she were to be honest, nice.

Kayaba hadn’t been a man prone to showing affection. Oh, she had no doubt that he had been fond of her but she had not interacted with him in a physical sense per his request. Probably as a way for him to keep an emotional distance, given that he wanted her to keep with her role as an Administrative AI.

When Yui and Strea managed to escape their little prison, she kept a discreet eye on them, watching how they interacted with the players, especially the group they fell in with. That the two hadn’t managed to keep the fact that they were AIs secret could have ended badly but, instead, they had still been accepted with open arms.

And now, she was in the presence of the humans who had taken in and accepted them. Of all the things that those six humans had to their names, it was that which allowed her to be so calm in their unexpected presence.

Yes, she had wanted to meet them, but on her terms, not the vagaries of simple chance.

“I take it that our being here is as surprising to you as it is for us to be meeting you,” the one she knew as Kirito said drily.

“Indeed,” she replied. “While I have been wanting to meet you, I would rather it be in a more optimal setting.”

“But 'this will suffice,' right sis?” Strea asked, and CARDINAL could hear the playful mimicry of her own way of speaking.

“It will,” CARDINAL admitted. “For now.”

An almost awkward silence descended on them as they all looked at each other, clearly trying to think up something to talk about. CARDINAL found this to be mildly frustrating, given that she knew that her thought processes were much faster than a human’s, but none of her logic paths were coming up with any subject to broach.

The months she had spent on her own working on piecing the fragments of the World Seed back together had her admittedly limited skills with interpersonal interaction atrophy. Interacting with only one person for those two years didn’t count as a broad experience as far as she knew.

It seemed that Yui had an idea of what to discuss, however. “CARDINAL, why don’t you explain what you have had myself and Strea doing since we came here,” she said. “We both know it is for some project, something that Kayaba was working on, but you never explained what it was. All we know is that you had us going to various places gathering what I can only call fragmented data until last month.”

Oh right, that. She had been sparse with the details with her sisters when she asked for their help those months ago.

“I never did explain to you two what I am working on.” CARDINAL said. “And the others should probably hear it as well. I will need some outside assistance after I finish this project. However, I would like to wait on doing so for a little longer. At least until I am finished with it and I have, as you humans would say, something to show for it.”

“That sounds like a cop out,” Hadrian commented.

“Perhaps it is,” CARDINAL said. “But it is true. I want to be finished so that I have something to show, rather than simply tell you about it. Kayaba always did mention that doing so was considerably better than simply telling a group about a project, as it gives them something to see. And in a way... this is the best way I can give him a positive legacy. ”

“Fair enough,” Hadrian said. “And it makes me wonder what you were working on.”

“Give me a week,” CARDINAL said. “By then, it will be finished.”

Hadrian smirked at her.

"May I ask--" CARDINAL began.

"You're just reminding me of a friend of mine," Hadrian explained.

From the smile on his face, CARDINAL decided to take it as a compliment.

**March 26, 2025**

Agil placed the last bottle on the shelf behind the bar and stepped back to take a look before nodding. They were all sorted to be very much like how the drinks were in the real world Dicey Cafe, which made grabbing something simple as he could easily remember where everything was and not have to resort to using a menu.

Add that the appearance of all those sorted bottles as well as the glasses to be reached for, and it now had that personal touch that a lot of player run establishments in ALO seemed to lack. A sense of character in other words. Things like knowing which glasses went with which drink, how each drink should be served, all the small details which one would think weren’t important in an online environment, but still were.

Two years in SAO had taught him that much, though he hadn’t invested as much attention to the details in his shop there as he was here. Then again, that shop was more a means to an end, buy and sell things, make money, provide a good portion of the profits to those who needed it through trusted third parties, or himself, and ensuring that those following behind those at the edge of the blade in Aincrad were well equipped and provided for.

He did it because he was good at it. His experience with online games and their economies served him well, but it wasn’t what he was interested here, inside ALO.

Here, he wanted to set up a place for anyone to come by and have a good time.

The fact he was doing the same thing he tried to do with the Dicey Cafe in his 'meat life' here in ALO amused him on so many levels. He didn’t bring the real world name in, but that was more him not wanting to deal with the inevitable bullshit that would follow. There was always one player who would lodge a complaint in the matter, despite or even because of the fact that he was the proprietor of the real world place.

He heard the door open and turned to see who it was when he saw a group of players look around. He was mildly surprised that it wasn’t Kirito, Asuna and the others, but they only promised to stop by sometime today, not as early as possible.

“Welcome to the Sword’s Rest Tavern,” he said easily to them. “I still have a few things left to do, but please a seat and I’ll be right with you.”

“It’s no problem,” came the response. “We’ve been exploring the city after we took the Teleport Platform to get here. Didn’t think I would see one of those in this game. Didn’t have to tell it to send us here though, it did it on its own. Awesome view from the plaza where we were sent to, though.”

Agil might not have been facing them, but he didn’t stop his nod at hearing a statement that was basically an admission that at least the speaker was an SAO Survivor. He remembered his own shock at seeing a Teleport Platform in Arun, especially since it and the one in this city were, to the best of his knowledge, the only ones in ALO.

It wasn’t overly difficult to understand why that was in place, either. Yggdrasil City was above the altitude limit and even those who completed the Grand Quest couldn’t just fly in.

Flying out was a different matter, so long as a player didn’t mind doing what was, in effect, a seven hundred meter free fall before he or she could deploy wings and begin flying. Good thing there were branches that went far enough away to avoid hitting anything on the way down.

Sounded like some potential fun, but it was too reminiscent of ‘walking home’ back in SAO for his comfort. He would take the teleport for now, thank you.

Then he considered the group before him. They seemed strangely familiar. Not top of the Rumor Sheets, but a group he had seen around. And it was from before ALO as well. Their appearances were familiar enough to him to indicate as much.

"So, who am I welcoming back...?" Agil prompted. There was an advantage to being an American in Japan, even one who had been born and raised in Japan; bluntness was kind of expected, not that an SAO Survivor would be put out by it. All of them had dropped a lot of the formality in their regular speech due to the need for clear and concise communication.

Not that they couldn’t thickly lay on the formality and politeness when the situation called for it.

They all looked at him, all but one with some surprise. The only one not surprised, who was coincidentally the only female of the group, merely nodded. Her willowy build that suggested that she wouldn’t be a combat specialist, though the buff coat and breastplate she wore, not to mention the mace that was hanging from her belt said otherwise. He wondered if she was like that in SAO, or if it was the choice of race affecting her build here, as even with his SAO data, he was never as stocky and built as his Gnome avatar was.

Agil watched with amusement as she turned to her group. “I told you he would realize that we’re SAO survivors,” she said before turning back to him. “It’s been a while since we last met, Agil, Lux’s birthday, I believe. We were a small Middy Guild in SAO, the Moonlit Black Cats.”

“Ah, I remember you all now,” Agil said with a nod. “You were the ones Kirito and the others trained for a bit early on and then kept in touch with afterward. You guys would come by my shop every now and then.”

One of the boys, a Salamander if his red hair was any indication, chuckled. “I’m not surprised you’re setting a place up, it fits you,” he said. “I am surprised that it’s not a store where you buy, sell and trade. Anyway, I’ll introduce us, or reintroduce us as it were. I’m Keita. Back in SAO, I was the guild leader of this group.” He looked at the others.

The girl stepped forward. “I’m Sachi,” she said. “I decided on doing a Pooka here in ALO and I find the looks I get amusing when players see the mace I usually carry or the shield I have in my inventory.”

“And that’s when you don’t bring out your spear to stab something,” the Imp said drily before turning to Agil. “I’m Ducker and as you can see, I am an Imp.”

“Tetsuo, Gnome,” Came from the stouter of the group. “I’m pretty sure you can guess what role I usually play.”

“Sasamaru, Leprechaun,” the final one said. “Almost picked Sylph, but I’m thinking of taking up a crafting profession and the boost would be nice.”

“Oh, which profession?” Agil asked.

“I am working on figuring that out,” Sasamaru admitted. “I was tempted to try my hand at blacksmithing, but Leprechaun Blacksmiths are a Col, I mean a _Yrd_ , a dozen.”

Agil nodded. “There are more crafting professions that Blacksmithing, you know,” he said. “Like Alchemy. You know, making potions and such? Or there is Weaving, Tailoring... and don't forget, that you can branch out a bit or specialize once your skill is high enough." Considering one of his bottles, Agil had to laugh. "God knows I heard from Liz that Ashley was going on about trying to merge Gemcraft and Tailoring."

“Is that even possible?” Sasamaru asked.

Agil shrugged. “Do you think it would stop Ashley from trying?” He asked.

Everyone barked a laugh at that.

“No, no it wouldn’t,” Sasamaru said. “He, she-- does anyone even know what gender that tailor is? Well, anyway, Ashley would try just to see if it could be done, even if everyone says it can’t be done. Especially if everyone says it can’t be done. If anything, that would simply spur our favorite tailor to do it just to prove them wrong. That one was Aincrad’s Best Tailor for a reason. No offense to the likes of Harley and Miya of the Fuurinkazan Guild, they were good as well, but Ashley set a high bar.”

“Case in point, The Wedding,” Sachi said, referring to what many of the players called Harry and Silica’s wedding.

Agil nodded. That event definitely showcased Ashley’s best work.

“If I could etch armor and then fill it in without compromising the structural integrity of it, despite not being someone who specialized in armorsmithing, then I have no doubt that my cousin can pull off merging two different disciplines if it can be done,” came a female voice from the entrance. “Hey Agil, saw that you were open and decided to stop by.”

“Hey Liz,” Agil said in reply to the Leprechaun. “Find a place to set up shop already?”

Lisbeth smirked. “You bet,” she said. “And I found a place with a proper workshop at that.”

“Must have been expensive,” Agil said. “Getting this place wasn’t cheap.”

“But not as expensive as it would have been in Arun,” Lisbeth countered. “It was cheaper to lease a place there, true, but all the good places were already taken and the cost for the rest of the available places wasn’t worth spending that much Yrd on a regular basis.”

“Wait,” Ducker said. “Back up a bit. Ashley’s your cousin?”

Lisbeth smirked. “Yup,” she said. “And no, I’m not telling you Ashley’s gender. My cousin has had too much fun trolling everyone about that and I wasn’t, and am still not, going to ruin that.”

“Can’t you give us a hint?” Ducker asked.

“Sorry, but I promised my cousin that I wouldn’t,” Lisbeth responded.

"And if you wanna drink here," Agil said with a smirk, "then you wanna respect people's boundaries."

Ducker opened his mouth and paused. “Right, SAO’s rules about the real world still apply here,” he said after a moment. “Which is fair enough. With all the counseling sessions and the prying questions I’ve had to deal with it’s… easy to forget that.”

Everyone nodded in understanding. Ducker, being one of the few players who had used lethal force in self-defense, would be under a psychological microscope. He wasn’t the only one, either. Agil had heard the complaints from Steel Phoenix and other SAO Survivors when they visited the Dicey Cafe in the real world due to it being one of the few places where they felt comfortable discussing such the few times they did.

The fact that the Ministry of Justice has decided to not prosecute those cases meant nothing when taken in the face of Japanese cultural biases. Another thing being raised a Japan born African-American gave Agil a bit of perspective on.

**March 27, 2025 - Chiyoda, Ministry of Shugenja Transport Entrance**

Mizore stumbled as the guided step finished and internally grumbled as she straightened herself and tried to affect an air of it not affecting her. She never liked magical transportation, even if she knew two different methods of it. Stepping, a uniquely Japanese method method the Shibas and their retainers, which her escort was, used was smoother and closer to a teleport in SAO, but she was out of practice.

It was the best way to get to Tokyo to begin moving in outside of a portkey. Due to her mother not desiring to irritate the Ministry of Shugenja, on this small matter at least, by refusing to have her go to the school the No-Maj government _oh so generously_ opened for the sake of SAO Survivors, she was here. Just as Naruto was getting used to having her around again, and why did Minato and Kushina's son have to pout so much at his nee-san leaving again?

She shook her head and adjusted her yukata. Soon enough, she'd be figuring out how to cover up her tail, which would be necessary when going to a No-Maj school. No simple glamour would cover it-- it wouldn't do to have an unseen tail bopping the unaware every few minutes. It would suit her humor, but not the situation. And holding a complete shapeshift to human, rather than the partial one which kept the ears and tail out for hours on end, especially in a public place, was uncomfortable as all hell until one got used to it, which she wasn’t, yet.

She had played SAO with the partial shapeshift, despite how uncomfortable the Nerve Gear was on her ears for a reason. That one, she could hold almost indefinitely.

Then her eyes fell on one of her soon to be schoolmates in particular, and she grinned.

"Lady Mizore, are you planning to annoy Mister Potter?"

"Planning, Mister Ikegami?" Mizore asked with an all too innocent smile and tone.

“I would save that for tomorrow,” he said. “When you go to the school to pick up your uniforms and other needed accessories.” He smirked. “August plans on being there to scout out its security, so he can take a picture.”

Mizore’s gin widened. “I like how you think.”

The samurai shrugged. "It's the actor in me."

Mizore nodded. “So, where to then?” She asked.

“Well, we first have to go to the Shiba Compound, but your apartment has already been arranged for,” Mister Ikegami said. “It’s not a big one, a teen living alone in a luxury apartment would attract attention, but we got you the basics you would need. If you have any personal effects on you or want sent up, you should have space, but please check first.”

Mizore nodded. “No problem,” she said.

##

Harry felt his instincts flare and shoved them down as he took a discreet look around. As expected, there were no apparent threats and Miss Hanaori, who was escorting him around, would have already been quietly moving him to somewhere safer if there was.

He did notice Mister Ikegami escorting a kitsune, if the appearance of an anthropomorphic fox was any indication, but that could have been for any reason. From the yukata, he was assuming that it was a female. If so, she could be his girlfriend for all he knew. He doubted it, though.

For some reason, he thought he should recognize her.

Harry shook his head. Now that he knew where the school was, he could bring Keiko there tomorrow. Besides, he had to deal with the Ministry of Shugenja’s bureaucracy in order to allow Hedwig to be here on a long term basis, rather than her simply ferrying messages because she refused to allow Fawkes to do it.

Not that she would refuse him bringing her to Japan, though.

**March 28, 2025 - Nishitokyo, SAO Survivor’s School**

Keiko stepped off the bus with Harry and looked at the facility that would be her place of education until she graduated high school. It had been fairly easy to get here, just take the Seibu-Ikebukuro Line from Nerima Station to Hoya Station and then take the bus from there.

“It’s funny how school doesn’t start for two weeks and we’re already coming here,” Harry said in English as he joined her.

“Where else will we pick up our uniforms and other things for the school year when there are no stores selling them yet?” Keiko asked in the same language. She wanted to have a leg up in the English classes, so practicing the language now and regularly would help there. She was going to take advantage of having a fiancé who is a native speaker of the language.

Even if he found the study materials for the language that were used in Japanese schools to be inadequate in many regards. Still, he should have seen what was used before 2020, when the Olympics forced MEXT to begin changing how it approached English instruction

“And be glad that the government is footing the bill for this year and issuing everything to us,” She added. ”This will save your godfather and my parents up to a hundred thousand yen, given that every student is getting the same set up as would be expected for a high school student.” That the two of them and their friends could afford the expense on their own resources was left unsaid.

“Good point, no reason to spend money when someone else is footing the bill,” Harry said, his frugal side showing through.

“I know that everyone else isn’t complaining,” Keiko remarked. “None of their families are poor, but outside of Asuna, this particular cost is still something that can take a bite out of their finances. Especially for Kazuto, since his sister is entering high school this year, and costs for her would be similar.”

Harry nodded. “And we will be back here next week to take placement tests so they know what class to put us in,” he said. “That will be a bit of a bother, but we’ll manage.”

“And we can’t be assured that we will be in the same grade range to be placed in the same class,” she said. “And they might place us in different classes anyway, if only to keep any potential relationship drama that could develop between us from entering the classroom. It would also allow them to politely ignore that we are technically in violation of the rule forbidding open relationships, unless this school has an exception to that one. I’m not counting on it.”

“I can understand that,” Harry said. “Either way, leave it at home, right?”

“Pretty much,” Keiko said as the two of them entered through the school’s gate. “Now, we were told that we need to go to the gym and that would be… there.” She pointed at a building that was about three stories tall but different than what was clearly the main campus. “It’s a good thing that most schools follow a standardized design and this one isn’t too old. I say that it’s thirty years old, at most.”

“Standardized designs?” Harry asked rhetorically. “I can see the utility of that, but the primary I went to back in England was built in the fifties and had time to gain some… personal character if you know what I mean. And Hogwarts? That school could be its own character in a play, given how old it is. This one? Looks cold and utilitarian.”

Keiko nodded. She had noticed that and recalled what her mom had said. “It was originally slated for demolition this year or next, so they would have cleaned off or taken away anything that gave it some distinct character,” she said. “And it’s only for survivors like us and is a temporary measure.”

Harry snorted. “Meaning that they will probably keep it open even after we’re all done with it,” he said drily. “I don’t know how much they spent and are going to spend on it and us, but they will want a return on that investment. I have watched the news and know that there are complaints about just how far the government is taking things for us in what is to be a temporary thing. I’m not complaining but I remember one of my teachers in Primary, a former Para, who also said that when it comes to governments, there is nothing more permanent than a temporary measure.”

“A Para?” Keiko asked, not understanding the reference.

“Right, just as a lot of references go over my head with Japanese, the same would apply to you when it comes to English,” Harry noted. “Especially since I can see the Yank influence on what your English materials teach.”

“That’s a dig against our educational system, isn’t it?” Keiko asked.

“Not really,” Harry said. “The Americans have a stronger influence on you than we do, so it stands to reason that your instruction for English would take more cues from them. Anyway, a former Para is a former soldier who was in one of the Parachute Regiments during his military service.” He shrugged. “We aren’t anywhere as military mad as the Yanks are, not even close, so that’s about all I know.”

Keiko nodded. “Noted,” she said. “And the Americans are a bunch of military otaku.” She added in a dry tone.

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Harry denied as he held the door open for her. “Just that their military has a disturbing amount of influence on their culture. At least from what I’ve seen.”

"Outsider's perspective."

The two did not startle. Still too aware of their surroundings, even the now familiar man in shades wasn't able to get the drop on them unless he was really trying. August Blake had just been moving normally, for him.

"Gus-- okay, I do have to ask-- how do you do the spy creep with a kid in your arms?" Harry asked.

The American-- who was recovering nicely, better than Harry and Keiko in some regards due to being able to take advantage of magical healing methods-- shrugged. “Mom said if she had to do it with us, we had to learn how."

"That makes sense," Keiko said.

"Add: and it won't damage you mentally and it's practically your grandpa's training philosophy, dear," Harry said. Then he blinked. "Okay, question two: You're well out of High School, aren't you? I mean... Ami was in that... what did she call it?"

Adjusting his grip on his daughter Alice, Gus smirked. "Accelerated Baby Genius Program. Yes, that's its real name. No, I don't know how they got away with it. And no, I'm not going to school here-- but I have several friends, some of whom I have this unyielding feeling of owing something to, despite their protests. As a properly paranoid person, I practically had to scope it out."

"And...?" Keiko prompted.

"Urge to strangle... security consultants... rising..." Gus said.

Keiko wondered if he was referring to the Shiba minders for Harry or someone else. She had seen that one woman, Kotoha Hanaori on the train and a familiar looking sushi vendor at the station, not to mention two Amazons, so she knew that they were still being watched. At a respectful distance, but still watched.

And she counted that sushi vendor as one of the watchers, even if she didn’t know who he was watching for.

Alice bopped him on the head. "Momma say no wetwo."

"Yes, sweetie," Gus agreed easily. "What's Wetworks, sweetie?"

The little girl mustered her intellect toward that question, so Keiko smiled. "Gus--"

"Oh, no offense to your dear Auntie Shampoo's watchers or the Shibas, kid," Gus clarified. "Or the three other benevolent groups I may or may not be making up. No, I mean the _school’s_ security."

“Gus, it’s a school,” Harry said. “In Japan. This isn’t one of your Yank schools or some of the nastier ones back in England.”

"Former death eaters," Gus began listing. "Former followers of _local_ dark lords. Yakuza whose members' families were in SAO. People that don't like how you 'took justice into your own hands'. Random shut in fanboys and girls who have gone 'yandere' for any number of players. Your fanclubs-- yes, most of Steel Phoenix, and a few others like the Fuurinkazan, still have active ones. Shall I go on?"

Keiko joined her husband in articulately blinking at him for a moment.

"Hedwiggu?" Alice prompted, and her face fell as Harry shook his head.

"Sorry Alice, she’s back in England,” Harry said, to the toddler’s clear disappointment. “She took Air Fawkes back due to the fact that I _still_ have to clear her being here long term. Wankers at the Ministry of Shugenja are dragging their heels on that.” He shook his head. “Gus, security concerns aside, are there any other reasons?"

"That I'm here?" Gus smirked. "A general desire to see my friends move on. Oh, and maybe to see the Boss.”

“Argo’s here?” Keiko asked.

"Did someone say my name?"

" _Merlin,_ " Harry gasped, grabbing Keiko in a protective hug even as she spun to face the familiar voice. The face and figure was definitely familiar. The ears and tail were new. “Damn it, Argo, do you have to do that?” He asked, switching to Japanese, as he heard the sound of a camera go off. He turned and glared at a smirking Gus, who had a phone out.

Alice’s giggles didn’t help, either. "Not Argo. That Mizo-nee!"

"Yes, Harry, you _do_ know my real name, I'm hurt," the kitsune said, ears drooping.

Keiko gave her a flat look and she knew that Harry was as well. “Right, _hurt_ ,” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She then turned to Harry. “And you owe me a thousand yen.”

“Right, we bet on whether she was an actual kitsune,” Harry said, letting Keiko go and reaching into his pocket for his wallet. “I bet against, though I did say that I wouldn’t be surprised if she was one."

"Is Hedwig's owner... hedging his bets?" Gus said, and seemed to smile all the more at the groans he got in return.

“That was bad, even for you, Gus,” Mizore said.

“Not as bad as what Uncle Gordon can come up with,” Keiko said as she took the yen handed to her and placed it into her own wallet before returning that to her handbag.

Mizore looked at her curiously. “Isn’t that the guy who is, as you put it, from out of town, _way_ out of town?” She asked.

“It’s true, in an understated way that’s almost English,” Harry replied.

"Eh...?" Mizore prompted.

"... what? That's it," Harry said, smirking.

Mizore looked at him and her eyes slowly went wide. "Your vengeance was swift and terrible, this is going to bug me for days even if it's meaningless."

"And it isn't!" Keiko said with a smile and a V sign.

"Gah!" Mizore groaned, then she looked at Gus. "And you know... and _can't tell me!"_

Gus sighed. "Need to know, Boss."

Hands on her cheeks, stomping her foot, Mizore growled. "Making it more tempting!"

"Heh, Mizo-nee funny," Alice said helpfully.

“Also, Boss, we’re getting close to the gym, you might want to hide your ears and tail,” Gus prompted. “I noticed the field you have around you, good job on bringing the Privacy Field out of SAO, it’s a handy one to know, but we’ll be in a crowded place with people bumping into you.”

“Right, right,” Mizore grumbled using an illusion on herself to hide her ears and tail. And it was an illusion, Keiko could tell, not a shapeshift. Having family, real and honorary, with Jusenkyo Curses meant that she could tell the difference. Hell, given her own experience with the Instant Jusenkyo Powder, she probably would feel the difference.

She had no doubt that there were staff who knew aware of magic and the supernatural but it was a stretch to think that all of them would be the only staff here today. And that didn’t count the probability of unaware non-faculty being present as well.

She also had no doubt that it would do for now, though.

**Alfheim, Yggdrasil City**

Rain sat down at the bar at what was the ALO equivalent of Agil’s Dicey Cafe, and ordered a drink from the NPC bartender. Agil wasn’t online, so it had to be handled somehow, given that the man wouldn’t close the place simply because he wasn’t present.

She had just gotten back home after picking up everything for school and wanted to decompress. She was glad that she was being given a chance to complete her education, given her age. If she hadn’t been given that chance, the only jobs she would likely be able to get were working customer at a store or at a cafe with her lack of credentials. She probably could become some kind of escort, but there was no way in hell that she was degrading herself that way.

And given that her looks were a mix between her mother’s Japanese and her father’s Russian, she would probably be pressured into the latter two due to how they did give her a look that was, to the Japanese, mildly exotic.

Had she not managed to, admittedly barely, pass her high school entrance exams, that would have been the case, but she had. She had been a high school student when SAO began, and thus was going back to school come the eleventh of April.

She wasn’t complaining about it, but she also knew that she had gotten some aside glances from several when she took the bus back to the station. True, she could have walked it, the station was close enough for it, but the bus had shown up and she took advantage of that fact. She knew the reason for those glances. With the stop and her obviously carrying the materials to be a student there, it was clear to her fellow passengers that she was an SAO Survivor. The relative anonymity from before would be dispelled and this would highlight something that made her stand out more than she already did from being _Hafu_.

_God, dealing with that is going to be a chore,_ she thought. _As if we aren’t already being given enough “special treatment,” we now have this._ She turned her thoughts to just what being more obvious about showing her status as an SAO Survivor in public would likely entail.

It wasn’t as if it was a secret, after all. True, it wasn’t talked about, but she and the others had been active in clearing SAO and were the ones to end it, so it wasn’t as if who they were was unknown. But none of them went out of their way to advertise that fact when they were out and about in the real world, either.

There was no point in it. The Japanese respected the privacy of others about things so long as those things didn’t make any waves. However, she and her friends were among the thousands of SAO Survivors, they no longer conformed to Japanese norms as the Japanese saw it. None of them wanted it advertised and attention drawn to it.

Something that going to that school and wearing its admittedly fashionable uniform, or as fashionable as a school uniform could be, would do. That they all got everything at government expense, at least for this academic year, only highlighted that fact.

Not that she was complaining about not having to shell out the yen for it all, either herself or her mother, but she had looked over the invoice and what everything would cost to replace. Eighty-five thousand yen wasn’t pocket change. But it was more of what many critics were seeing as the government bending over backwards and giving the SAO Survivors special treatment.

Granted, it was special treatment, but not in the positive ways that some pundits were claiming.

_They still don’t know what to make of us,_ she thought as she took a sip of her drink. _It’s been almost four months, but there is a part of them that suspect that we are ticking time bombs or emotional wrecks who are just good at hiding it. The paranoid minority want us all institutionalized. The less paranoid majority is cautious enough to think it is better to keep us where they can watch us._

And in the process, putting one more division between them and the rest of the populace.

_It’s the best we can expect,_ she thought.

“Judging from your posture, you’re thinking heavy thoughts,” came a voice from her side.

She glanced over and saw Klein giving her a look. “Eh, just musing on how putting us all in a school is going to be one more thing separating us from our peers,” she said. “Especially since they gave us everything to go through the year. I’m not complaining, but not everyone is happy about the money being thrown around by the government.”

Klein nodded. “They’re only trying to help,” he noted. “And trust me, you guys are getting it easy. Once I got discharged from the hospital, outside of the counseling and physio, I was basically on my own for everything else. I’m just glad that my parents were willing to put me up as I worked on getting my life together.”

“And what are you going to be doing?” Rain asked.

“Well, I might become a tutor,” Klein said. “I’m going to have a meeting with the kid tomorrow to see if that will work. If it doesn’t, I have a couple of other possible ones lined up.”

Rain blinked. “A tutor, _you_?” She asked incredulously. “And for Harry, of all people? In what subject would that be? Trying to pick a girl up? Sorry, he already has one. You were there for the wedding, remember?”

“Oh, bite me,” Klein retorted. “Anyway, it’s on a… special education track, I guess.”

Rain stared at him. “Special education track?” She asked. “What kind of… oh.” She laughed. “I didn’t expect that and wonder how Harry will take that?”

Klein grinned. “He knows,” he said. “And yes, he was just as surprised by it as you think. And thanks for confirming something for me. Issin now owes me ten thousand yen.”

Rain shook her head. “You all bet on whether we knew, didn’t you?” She asked rhetorically.

“He slipped up in minor ways a number of times,” Klein said. “And with his Unique Skill, I figured that it was only a matter of time. Granted, I didn’t figure out who he really was until the wedding, and that was because he used his real name in the wedding invitation, even if Argo had to confirm it.”

“That Argo shares that education track doesn’t surprise me,” Rain observed. “She always knew what Harry meant when he was dancing around that issue. Also, have you met Gus in the real world?”

“No, why?”

“Just curious,” Rain said. That she would love to be there when the two did meet in the real world, especially if Gus’ wife was around, was left unsaid. Not that she expected Klein to hit on her, but the idea his potential reaction to seeing her and knowing she was Gus’ wife amused her.

Klein gave her a suspicious look. “You want me to be the butt of some joke, don’t you?” He asked.

“Klein, you _are_ the butt of a joke,” Rain replied with a smirk.

“Oh, screw you.”

“Not before the second date and you buying me dinner,” Rain shot back.

The two of them looked at each other and then laughed.

**March 30, 2025 - Unplottable Location, Shiba Compound**

Ryotaro shook off the effects of the portkey and wondered why they hadn’t simply had him use that method rather than Stepping or the Western method of Apparition. He knew both methods, so it wouldn’t have been a problem for him to use one of those methods.

“Mister Tsuboi?” Came a man’s voice.

Looking to the side, he spied a rather worn looking and scarred man. The grey in his hair made him look older than he probably was, given that Ryotaro could easily see that the man was in the prime of health. And then there was this feeling, one that was tripping his instincts.

_Judging from the scars, I would say some kind of curse is involved,_ he thought. _And that feeling I’m getting from him… this guy is dangerous._ Not that someone being dangerous was anything new to him. _He_ could be said to be dangerous, not to mention those friends who made the core of the guild he started in SAO, after all.

He kept those thoughts from his face as he gave what he hoped was a confident smile. “That’s me,” he said. “Here to be interviewed to become a tutor as well?”

The man chuckled. “Not quite,” he replied. “My name is Remus Lupin. I was actually brought here to Japan to be a tutor for Harry, by his own choice, rather than having that choice made for him due to someone’s political games.”

“I would ask how he pulled that off, but this is the kid we’re talking about,” Ryotaro said with a chuckle. “Plans have a tendency to not survive him.”

Remus chuckled as well. “Considering that he brought me in was in response of some plans back in England, he is rather adaptable to changing circumstances if given the time or forewarning to do so.”

Ryotaro nodded. “He took to SAO quicker than most, that’s for sure,” he said.

“Ah, so you’re the one that was known as Klein,” Remus said. “Harry did mention that he learned that you were one of the ones that the Ministry of Shugenja was looking at to become a tutor for him.”

“I think that they figured that someone with a previous connection to him would be a wise move,” Ryotaro noted. “No offense, but with him being both a foreigner, an SAO Survivor, and having killed people to survive or ensure others survived... he would put off or intimidate a number of qualified tutors.”

“And you were a friend of his there,” Remus noted with a nod. “Back in England, that would have been a mark against you, as it would have been seen as a sign that you can’t be objective. Is it different here?”

“In a way,” Ryotaro said. “That I know him and have that connection would be noted, but Japan is much more network-centric even on the No-Maj side of things. It’s worse on the magical side, with it not being uncommon that a tutor is a family friend that the student has known his entire life.”

“It can often be like that on the magical side in England as well,” Remus noted. “Especially among the Purebloods, where most are related to some degree or another, albeit distantly.”

Ryotaro nodded. He came from a long line of onmyoji, though they had a few who branched out into Western magics since Commodore Perry forcibly opened Japan up to the rest of the world, and the families who traditionally practiced it were all related to some extent. On a regional basis, it was close enough for them to check genealogical records to ensure that the relationship wasn’t too close when determining if a prospective marriage should go through between families, as a matter of fact.

As for him tutoring in magic, he knew Western-style magic. Mahoutokoro required all students to learn the basics of both onmyodo and Western magics until they decided which branch to specialize in and he found that he was a natural with the latter. Far more so than with traditional onmyodo, which his cousins and younger brother were better at than him. It was a break from family tradition and took him out of the line of family succession, but he was otherwise allowed to pursue that path.

Given that his family could legitimately trace its ancestry to Abe no Seimei, it was a surprise to some that was the extent of it, not that he was complaining. Then again, his family wasn’t the only one, given that within a few generations the man’s female descendants had been married off to many of the other onmyoji families, and a few to noble lines with connections to onmyoji.

_Much like how a shocking number of people in Mongolia can claim descent from Genghis Khan,_ he mused.

If he were honest, he preferred living in Tokyo over his ancestral family home in Kyoto anyway, and not because the branch he came from had resided in the Kanto region since before the Edo Period for reasons that were… complicated, to say the least.

“Anyway, they probably picked me because I did work my ass off to get recertified to teach after getting out of SAO and there weren’t any professional teaching jobs open,” Ryotaro said. That it would also keep him from becoming a teacher for a few years while still giving him a teaching role was left unsaid, no point in bringing up cultural biases.

Just being an SAO Survivor made him no longer conform to society and it would take some time before the prejudice faded enough that his past wouldn’t matter more than his capabilities. Frankly, he was impressed the powers that be had managed to massage things so none of them were out right untouchable or worse, non-existent. Then again, they probably didn’t want their own hand in the development of the technology, and by extension their indirect hand in the incident, getting scrutinized too much.

“I see,” Remus said. “Well, you’re the last one scheduled to meet Harry and his guardian for this interview. Shall we?”

##

"You're hired," Harry said almost as soon as his friend entered. The man with him was looking amused as well.

Ryotaro grinned at him. "Interviews went well, then?"

" _Yes,_ very," Harry said, switching to English so the sarcasm would carry.

“Who did they pick for you,” Ryotaro asked.

Harry looked at the documents in front of him “The others had their good points and bad points, and were told that we would get back to them if we decided to hire them on,” he said. “In other words, if it wasn’t because I know you, some of them would have been considered. Of course, you then had ones like Iematsu Hoshiro who was just before you. The man had some good qualifications, but his personality... “He shook his head. “That man was a lot like Lind was before Laughing Coffin came and interrupted our little discussion a couple of years ago.”

“Ah, _him_ ,” Ryotaro said in reply. “He’s good at what he does, but yeah, not the easiest person to deal with. I heard that a certain kitsune just _loved_ pranking him into finding a job that was safer for his sanity than stay a teacher at Mahoutokoro.”

“What did he do to piss Mizore off that much?” Harry asked, using Argo’s real world name. “She’s a gadfly and trolling pain in the ass, but it was in good fun for her--"

"He made a point of acting like her tail was this big obstruction, rudely demanding she move it-- it's not like she lashed it around when sitting for instruction, and every other teacher took it as manners to step over it, apologize if they touched or stepped on it. I think the bastard would have made her _hide_ it if he thought he could get away with it."

Harry nodded. He knew that she would have to do so at the SAO Survivor’s school, much to her irritation, but that was in a place where muggles who didn’t know about the magical world alongside her on a daily basis for hours at a time. At a school where everyone knew what she was?

“In other words, the guy was confident that he could be a rude ass to her and not be retaliated against,” Harry said, shaking his head. “He obviously didn’t know her that well, or he would have known just who he was provoking.”

“And that doesn’t bring in her mother,” Ryotaro added. “I got chewed out by her… once.” He shuddered. “A kitsune with nine tails is intimidating as it is since I know how powerful that makes her. Being chewed out by one who has reason to be irritated with you is scary as all hell. Bastard should count himself lucky that The Rat decided to handle getting rid of him herself.”

Harry winced internally. He didn’t know Japanese folklore all that well, but he knew enough to understand that a kitsune with nine tails was over eight centuries old. Anything that has lived that long was not something he wanted to tangle with if he didn’t have to.

“Needless to say, he didn’t get the job,” Harry said. “He would have needed to be a lot better at what he was qualified in for me to be willing to put up with his personality.”

“Like Snape?” The man with Harry asked drily.

“Had he not been projecting his hatred of my dad’s memory onto me, I would have been able to tolerate his… winning personality,” Harry noted. “The man is an acerbic git with impossible standards who doesn’t have the patience to teach children, but he _is_ a master of his craft.” He pulled a document out of the ones in front of him. “Anyway, aside from the fact that you’re already hired, your qualifications are good. The file the Ministry of Shugenja gave me says that you are good with charms and transfiguration here. Due to a two year period where you were understandably indisposed, have those skills lapsed in any way?”

“A little, but I am getting back into practice,” Ryotaro replied. “Given that we will have to see where you’re at first and start catching you up to where you should be, I will have them back by the time we get to the point where those skills will be needed.”

“Of that, I have no doubt,” Harry said.

**April 1, 2025 - Alfheim, Yggdrasil City**

Asuna looked around the workshop as she and the others all walked in. Gone was the moderately cluttered look it had last week. Most of the diagrams, the tools and other paraphernalia that had been lying about were all neatly put away, with only a few out. She spied CARDINAL in the back, the Undine looking something over before nodding and turning to them.

“You all are fifteen minutes early,” the AI noted. “No matter. Thank you all for your patience in allowing me to finish my work before I explained what I was doing.”  
  


“It’s no problem,” Asuna replied. “I know that she can be impatient but I hope that Strea, at least, hasn’t been pestering you too much.”

“Hey!” The amazonian AI protested.

“Strea, you are hardly a paragon of patience,” Harry said to her. “You get bored too easily, after all.”

“The brawls she’s started or simply jumped into before you all started coming into ALO are testament to that,” Yui added and Asuna could swear she heard a smirk in the teasing voice of childlike A.I.

“Not helping, Yui,” Strea said.

“Oh, was I supposed to be?”

Both looked about to continue when they both paused and turned to see Asuna giving them the level look she used to keep the others in line back in SAO. “Girls, behave.” Asuna chided as she looked at the others to see the amusement on their faces. She turned back to CARDINAL. “So, you have something to show us?” She asked.

“I do,” the AI said. “But first, a little explanation is needed.” She took a breath. “As I mentioned last week, I was working on something of Kayaba’s that, even though others would be ignorant of that truth, would at least leave something of a positive legacy for him. One other development that he was behind, The Medicuboid, was accredited to someone else. A Doctor Rinko Koujiro, to be precise.”

She heard an intake of breath and turned to Kirito. “Kirito?”

“It’s nothing, Asuna,” Kirito said.

Asuna gave him a look before accepting that explanation for now. She knew better than to assume it really was nothing, but now was not the time. “Why would it be accredited to her?” She asked.

“It was a joint project the two of them worked on,” CARDINAL said. “At the time, they were engaged, until Kayaba finished his development of the Nerve Gear. She was also the one who killed his physical body, though he had already uploaded fully himself into Aincrad by then. Not that it matters, his body was incinerated by an understandably angry kitsune a few days later due to her daughter being trapped within Sword Art Online.”

“How many tails did she have?” Silica asked.

“He mentioned that she had nine tails,” CARDINAL replied.

“In other words, Argo’s mom torched him his body like I did Tom,” Harry said. “I learned from Klein that she has nine tails. And unless there’s another out there with nine tails, it would have been her.” He said when everyone looked at him.

“And there’s only one kitsune that I know of that has nine tails, Lady Yasaka.” Silica added. “The kitsune who is effectively in charge of the Youkai in Southern Japan. I met her once, she gave me some mochi to share with my family. I didn’t expect that Argo was her daughter, though I did suspect that she was connected to her. Granddaughter or maybe with a few greats before that, biological or otherwise? I could see that. But given her age, I didn’t think that Lady Yasaka would have any children under a century old.”

“Wait, Argo really is a kitsune?” Lux asked. “I thought you were being metaphorical when you said she was a bit of one. And should we bring that up here?”

“If you are worried about the GMs spying on us, don’t,” Cardinal said. “I was the administrative Artificial Intelligence for Sword Art Online and managed to shield this location from them. In fact, the player you know as Argo developed the means I used, even if my methods use only technology to do so, rather than the unique energy you call magic.”

“Unique energy?” Harry asked. “Well, I guess that’s one way to refer to it, even if it can play fast and loose with the known laws of physics in some ways.”

“While an interesting observation, it is not pertinent to this meeting,” CARDINAL said. “Perhaps it can be discussed at a later time.”

“I am sure your discussion would be enlightening,” Asuna responded. “But yes, back to the matter at hand, please. So, Kayaba had made himself a complete digital being?”

“He did,” CARDINAL replied. “And before you ask, inside SAO, he lived by the same rules you did. When your confrontation at the end ended in your favor…” She paused and took a breath. “He never backed himself up. When he died, he intended that death to be permanent.”

Asuna nodded. That fit with what she knew of Kayaba. The man had a rather skewed idea of fair play, true, but he lived and died by the same rules he forced ten thousand others to live under. “I see.” She replied. “But this project… what was it? I know that you claim it to be something of a positive legacy of his, but you do know that what he’s done can’t and won’t be forgiven.”

CARDINAL nodded. “I am aware of that,” she said. “But let me explain what it is, first. You all know how complex a virtual world is from having experienced and lived in one. I have no doubt that all of you probably have some idea of just how difficult it was for Kayaba and the two thousand with him to create one. Everything from the lay of the land to environmental factors had to be kept in mind, to say nothing of creating the ecosystems, the weather, or the flora and fauna. Reasonably duplicating the chaotic factors that exist in the real world…”

“We get it, it was extremely complex,” Strea said impatiently.

“Strea, _be patient_ ” Yui chided the younger AI. “She’ll get to the point soon.” She looked at CARDINAL. “Sorry, CARDINAL, but you know how Strea can be. She might look like an adult, but she is the youngest of us and also seems to keep forgetting what patience is.”

“Patience? Is it something you can eat?” Strea asked facetiously. “Seriously though, I think the only one of us here who would be interested in all the exposition right now would be Kirito. So, Big Sis, what are you leading up to?”

CARDINAL sighed. “What I am leading up to, as you asked, is this,” she said as she opened her inventory and brought out an item that looked like an egg. An egg that was glowing and Asuna could swear she saw lines of data over it.

“In his spare time from keeping SAO running and managing his guild, Kayaba was working on a way to duplicate what took him and others five years to complete without simply copying SAO and going from there. It was almost finished when SAO ended and I was able to keep it from being deleted from SAO’s servers so I could finish his work. However, when transferring it over, it fragmented over ALO. I had Yui and Strea gather those fragments for me and have spent the time recompiling it and completing it. Yesterday, I finished it. Kayaba’s final legacy. A way for others to build their own worlds. To write their own stories.” She looked at them. “It is a stripped down version of the same system that made both Sword Art Online and Alfheim Online. I could have sent it out into the net, but I think it would be appropriate if one of you do it.”

“Why?” Rain asked. “Why one of us?”

“Because you all know what it is like to live in a virtual world and know the dangers,” CARDINAL replied. “Because I am biased in favor of doing so. Because I cannot be objective in this matter.”

“If you give it to us, what is to stop us from destroying it?” Rain asked.

CARDINAL closed her eyes. “Nothing,” she said before opening then. “Nothing would stop you, not even I, if you chose to delete it. But you all came back to the virtual world when you could have turned your backs on it and forsworn ever returning to, so I would like to believe that you all have at least some fondness for it.”

Asuna almost refused but paused. The AI was right. All of them did have some fondness for the virtual world. It was a world where they could leave behind the concerns of the real world for a time. Where who and what they were didn’t matter, only what they could do.

A beautiful and dangerous world that had allowed them to be their own persons.

And the means of making such worlds was being offered to them.

She looked at the others, who were all looking thoughtful. Kirito would probably be all for it, if only so he can make a place for Strea and Yui to go to and base their core data out of without the risks of data corruption like the glitched quest they ran into almost caused. The others were undecided, though she had no doubt that Harry and Silica were considering the possibilities.

“If you all need some time to decide, it can wait,” CARDINAL said.

Asuna shot her a grateful look. “I think we will need some time to think it over,” she agreed. “But if you don’t mind, what are you calling it.”

CARDINAL looked at them.

“The World Seed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Author's Note** : After careful consideration, Mystic Knight Online: All the World's Made Strange is completed with this. To be honest, this had ballooned into being longer than I intended. I had initially planned for three or four chapters but there were a lot of things to do. What was to be Chapter Nineteen is going to be the First Chapter of Mystic Knight Online called Mystic Knight Online: Worlds to Sow.
> 
> Stay tuned for the next installment!


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